Rose Water
by RoseVanderpol
Summary: A newcomer to the guild finds a mysterious legend about a water dragon slayer who was placed in an enchanted sleep. She, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy then do everything they can to find her and save her. They learn about her connection to Acnologia and Igneel, as well as a possible way to defeat the most powerful being the world has ever known. But they have to wake her up first.
1. Rose Water

**Chapter One**

It was a normal day at the guild hall, from I saw. Natsu and Gray were arguing about something, Erza was making strawberry cake, Wendy and Carla were happily talking to Mira about something, and Happy was sitting next to Carla with a fish stuffed into his mouth. I was sitting at one of the tables, reading a story I had just bought. It was called "The Legend of the Sleeping Water Girl". So far, it was pretty interesting.

"Hey! Elia! What are you doing?" Lucy called as she entered the guild hall. I saw Natsu's eyes flick over to her, twinkling with mischief. It was then that Gray landed a punch to his face, again distracting him.

"Hey, Lucy. I'm reading this story I got. I thought it was fiction, but now I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" She asked, sitting on the bench opposite me.

"Well, when I got it, I assumed it was a fantasy. Bu the more I read it, the more it seems like a biography." I was more and more convinced it was.

"Where did you find it? It looks old." She responded, and took the book from me.

"The Archives. Master said I could borrow it."

"That would make sense. Maybe ask him about it? Or Mira. She might know. I would say ask Levy, but she's out on a job with Jet and Droy." She handed the book back to me gingerly.

"I suppose." I said, and looked over to where Master sat in his usual spot, on the counter, next to Mira. Lucy then stood up and walked over to the request board to look for a job. Natsu soon joined her, and Happy flew over and landed on Natsu's head.

I sighed, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask him about it. So I stood up, and walked over.

Now I'm not a major player in the Fairy Tail hierarchy. There's the famous few: Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Mira, Elfman, Laxus, etc… but I'm not one of them. I'm a newcomer; I joined after they won the Grand Magic Games. I had finally mastered a magic, and decided that was my cue to join a guild. The Fairy Tail I had known growing up was nothing like this one. I moved a lot, but when I finally settled down outside of Magnolia, I was about nine years old. My older sister and my mother were with me. My father had died a few years back, when I was three. We had a demon of the book of Zeref attack our town, and us three barely made it out alive. My mother had never since been comfortable staying in one place. My sister put her foot down after we moved to Magnolia, and bought her own house just outside the city using the money she had saved from various jobs. She was a carpenter, and a very skilled one. I stayed with her, and my mother went on to leave again. Since then, I had lived with her and practiced my magic so one day I could be a wizard in a famous guild. That had been seven years ago. I was 16 now, and my sister 26. I was skilled at illusion magic, but nothing like Mavis. She had been my inspiration, and so, here I was.

Here I was indeed. Master turned to look at with red eyes, and flushed cheeks. Still celebrating the guild's win, and the huge amount of money that came with it. I'd try anyway, I supposed. "Master? When you let me borrow this book, I was under the impression that it was fantasy story. Fiction. Is it not?"

He looked at the book I held out, and his eyes widened a bit. "I hadn't realized that it was _that_ book." He said, in a fairly un-slurred tone. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as I thought.  
Mira then added: "No, it's non-fiction. For the most part. It supposedly tells the legend of a water dragon slayer girl who was put into a deep sleep after nearly being killed by Acnologia. Legend states that her dragon had sealed herself inside the girl to keep the girl safe, and that was part of the reason she survived. The other part was that her wounds were so severe that it would take a very long time to recover, even with her outstanding abilities in healing magic. Apparently…" Mira paused, and took the book, flipping to a random page… "The water dragon magic was extremely powerful, capable of physical, mental, emotional and a few other kinds of spells. The legend says that her kind of magic was the most powerful there was." She kept flipping, until she came to a picture about halfway through the book. It was a picture of a girl sleeping on a stone table. She was beautiful; she had dark brown hair, fine features, and slim figure, rosy cheeks a dress that looked to be made out of water and gold. I inhaled slowly, taking in the picture.

"So what happened after she fell asleep?" I asked, and gently touched the faded paint on the picture. It was hand painted, and looked old.

"The legend she was sealed away in a tomb 'to be woken when the time is right'. There was also supposed to be a huge reward if you woke her up, but the details around that vary. I read it was a wish, or gold, or a huge increase in magic power… things like that. But who knows, really? It's just a legend." She said, and grabbed a wash cloth from under the counter and wiped idly.

"I say we check it out! Maybe she knows where Igneel is!" Natsu was suddenly behind me, talking loudly and startling me into letting out a terrified squeal.

Lucy walked up behind him, but she didn't startle me like he did. Probably because I knew she was coming. "Natsu! Did you find a job? What are you looking at?"

Natsu continued leaning over my shoulder, staring at the picture. He was silent for a moment, and then he simply said: "We have to find her."

Lucy just looked at me curiously. "Find who?" So I paraphrased the legend for her. She also stared at the picture, and she seemed fascinated by it too. "So how long has she been here? Asleep, I mean?"

"I don't know. I never finished the book." Mira sighed, and then smiled at me. "Since you have the book, why don't you see if you can find it?"

Natsu was looking at me so intensely, that I couldn't say no. I sighed. "Ok, I'll see what I can find out." I shut the book and went to go sit down on the bench again. But then I drew a blank. This wasn't a small book, and looking for a specific locations and times would be difficult. But I would try. So I set the book on the table and rifled through my bag for the notebook I always carried. I would take notes and see what I could find. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy sat opposite me and Happy sat off to the side with Carla, the fish still in his mouth. Natsu was eating something, with a torch off to the side, and Lucy was polishing her keys. I sighed, and picked up where I left.

Several hours later, and I had a couple notes. Natsu and Lucy came back and forth between my table and other areas in the guild. I waved them over, and as I waited for them to arrive, I went over my notes. This book, being rather old, had a lot of poetic language. _In love so she slept, in love so she weeps, in love so she wake._ I had an idea what it meant… at least in the figurative sense. I didn't really get it, but I knew it was important, so I wrote it down. All in all, I had a general location, which included… all of Fiore. I sighed, and my head thumped as it the table. Natsu made a noise of confusion.

"Sorry. I'm just a bit stumped. I have a whole bunch of clues, but I don't really know how to put them together. I think I need more than this book. I need a couple of other sources. Other versions of the legend that might offer another clue. Something." I stood up and stretched.

Lucy pulled my notebook over to her, and gazed at it. "Maybe. This one book may not have everything we need to find her." She sighed. "If she's real, or still there."

Natsu was silent for a moment, then said. "I think she's still there. It's worth checking out! Besides, if she knows where Igneel is, then it's definitely worth finding her." Happy nodded in the background, not really knowing what we were talking about, but agreeing with Natsu anyway.

I looked at him, and felt a slight flush at the level of intensity he exuded. He was staring at her picture again, with a strange look on his face. A strange mix of confusion and longing, of pain and hope. I couldn't explain it, but I couldn't say no to him. So I nodded, too. "I'll try my best, but I'll need all the help I can get. Anything you can find about this; I'll really appreciate it."

So we headed down to the Archives. I hadn't finished the legend, but I wanted to have more sources. I needed to have more clues. That night, we stayed in the Archives until I fell asleep, my head on Natsu's shoulder, five books spread out around the four of us. Lucy sat on Natsu's other side holding Happy, and she had a few books too. I remember how tired I was, and the next thing I knew, I was on a couch, with a blanket on me, and the sun was shining brightly through the windows. _Where am I?_

 _To Be Continued…_


	2. Rose Water 2: Research

**Chapter Two**

I looked around, still half asleep, and realized I was in a house. A small one. It was cute. But I still didn't know where I was. So I stood up, rubbing my eyes, and folded the blanket. I got my first clue from the blanket. _Cat hair._ I looked around the little cottage again, taking in more details. It was messy. Lived in, and loved. Dirty dishes, dirty clothes. Memorabilia from jobs done (so a wizard). Upon looking closer, I knew instantly. I was in Natsu's house. But why? I decided to walk around. I was still in yesterday's clothes. There was that, at least. There only seemed to be one other room, and it appeared to be Natsu's room. I peeked in, and saw him passed out on his bed. I smiled. But then I felt stuck. Why was I here? How long did I have to stay? Would it be rude to just leave? Should I wake him up? Instead, I went back out to the living room and found my stuff, so I picked up the third book I had found and continued reading it.

 _So she slept and dreamt, and dreamt of gold and flame._

 _Of a waking hour when in she could sleep dreamlessly; a dreamless dream within itself, and so He would no longer exist, but would be freed from the dream to be released to the fold._

 _She slept in love and she wake in such, like the gentle stroke of a lover's hand across a face, or as a light summer gale would so whisper to a tree._

 _She is surrounded by stone, but hears the trees sing, and while encased in marble, she bathes in oak._

I bit my lip. There was something here in this paragraph… something important. But I didn't know what. I took out my journal, and lay on my stomach and took a few notes. Then I put the pencil behind my ear, and swung my feet in the air above my head as I lay on my stomach. I opened up the fourth book to a passage supposed to be from her perspective, and then from the narrator's.

 _'I see water flow, and feel it in my bones, shaking and booming._

 _I hear the trees sing and know their secrets, keeping them stored in my heart._

 _I taste the salt brine, and feel the ice of frozen days. White covers my nose.'_

 _She laments for her lost, and yearns for the yet to be lost, while holding close what she covets. Eyes golden as sunlight and hair of the richest silk. Confections and peach, pristine and clean, she shines as a star pulled from the sky; a queen of fire, the empress of water, ruler of earth, duchess of air._

I heard a creak behind me, but when I looked, there was nothing there. But now I was on to something. It seemed like they were describing a northern area, near the sea. _Brine. Water. Ice. White = snow? Holding close what she covets… prize? Treasure? Time?_ I liked that last one, whimsical as it sounded. So far I'd put together that she was in Fiore. She was probably in the north, by the sea. But the sea didn't 'shake and boom'. A waterfall? _Surrounded in stone, hears trees, in marble, and bathes in oak?_ So somewhere she can hear trees. She can see water. Behind a waterfall? _Behind waterfall. In cave? By the ocean. Access to fresh air. Bathes in oak?_ That was the one I didn't get. But honestly, I didn't get most of it. Now I needed to go to the library. I yawned, and heard footsteps behind me.

"Oh, hey." Natsu said, sounding surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"No idea. I woke up here. Where's Lucy?" I asked.

"She went on a job with Erza and Wendy today. Oh yeah, I brought you here. I didn't know where you lived, and you couldn't stay at Lucy's since she left early this morning." He noticed my notebook then. "Oh! Find anything?" He came right up behind me and peered over my shoulder to read it. I held it up so he could see better.

"I wanted to go to the library today, if possible, and find a map of the Fiore coastline to the north. See if there's any listed waterfalls. I think she's near one."

He nodded in agreement. "Ok. Let's go now! HAPPY! We're going to the library! Come on!" And with that, he ran back into his room, laughing a demented sort of laugh and made me laugh in response.

Happy flew out sleepily, rubbing one eye, the other still shut. I was kind of impressed that he didn't run into any walls. "Mmm… Natsu… Why are we going to the librar- WEH?!" He made a noise of surprise as he saw me, and looked taken back. "Natsu? There's a girl in here." He said, pointing at me and staring at Natsu accusingly.

"I know there is! It's Eli!" He said, and the look of anger on his face was comical.

"Eh heh… It's Elia, actually. I'm going to the library. Did you want to come?" I asked Happy, and looked at Natsu.

Happy had a look of glee on his face. "Hey Natsu. Did she stay over here?" He put his little paws to his mouth, and he held in a laugh.

"Happy! It's not like that!" Natsu yelled at him.

Happy giggled. " _In looooooooove."_ He said, rolling the o's. I sighed and dropped my face into my hand. I wasn't mad though, just enjoying the silliness of this pair.

"Haha. Come on you two. I don't know what time it is, and I want to get going to the library." I said, and started toward the door.

Natsu ran back into his room for a few moments, and I watched the doorway curiously. He came back out, fully dressed in his everyday clothes. I hadn't realized until then that he had been in his pajamas, and now I wished I had. He wasn't bad looking. Not at all. I felt a bit of a blush rush up to my cheeks as he adjusted his scarf, and then he looked at me with a big smile on his face. "Ok. Let's go!"

At the library, I headed straight back to the maps and atlases. I knew where they all were; I was here often. "Natsu. No burning anything, or I burn you. Got it?" I said, sticking my finger out at him.

"Yeah, ok. I won't." He said, and wandered off with this dangerous look of boredom on his face. I probably should have told him that some of these books were magic. Some of the books were on dark magic, and some on monsters. The ones on monsters were my favorite. That one would snap on your fingers if you opened without asking permission. I learned that the hard way.

I found the maps, and took out a couple that had the north coast of Fiore in them, and then found one on specific geographical features in northern Fiore. There were no listed waterfalls though. I pulled out a couple other books, and looked them over top to bottom.

I sighed, and rubbed my eyes. I'd been staring at maps for an hour or so now, but I hadn't yet figured anything out.

Suddenly I realized how quiet it was. I grabbed my books and stood up cautiously. I walked around, and at the far end of the library, I saw a large pile of books on the ground, one of which was lying open. Inside the page, Natsu was yelling and screaming about something, and every time he tried to do a spell it failed. I laughed a bit, but more out of exhaustion than amusement, picked up the book, and headed towards the guild hall, my own books stashed under my arm.


	3. Rose Water 3: Levy's Perspective

**Chapter Three**

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as both groups returned: Erza, Lucy, Wendy and Carla, and Team Shadow Gear followed a few minutes later.

I practically flew out of my chair and then realized what a picture I must present: A girl with frantic, dark rimmed eyes holding a book containing a yelling dragon. I resolved myself to walking. Happy was delighted to see Carla again, and for the moment, had completely forgotten about Natsu still trapped in the book. I was a bit star struck, honestly. All these famous, strong people were here in front of me and here I was, a little nobody who could only do mediocre magic tricks. I felt suddenly small. But nonetheless, I felt like I had a responsibility to Natsu, still trapped in the book.

"U-um. Miss Levy?" I asked, blushing. She was so cool, and I was so not.

"Yes? How can I help?" Then she saw the books I was holding. "Oooh, whatcha got there?"

I laughed a bit, in spite of myself. "I've got a Natsu, actually." I said, and opened Natsu's book. As soon as he saw us, he began yelling at us again with the comical look of annoyance. "I probably should have told him the books in the library were magical. He agreed to go with me, and he's been stuck in the book since this morning."

Levy laughed, Erza and Lucy sighed, and Wendy looked on in wonder. "So!" Levy said, "You need my help to get Natsu out, eh? Ok. I'll see what I can do." She said, and took the Natsu book to a nearby table. I watched curiously as he suddenly flopped down and turned green in the face as she walked.

I sat across from her, and watched. "Do you think you can get him out?"

Gray, across the room, rolled his eyes and said "Man, he's an idiot." And he laughed. Natsu scowled, and pounded his fists on the page.

"I don't think I'll have a problem. It's probably a good thing we can't hear him though. I can only imagine…" She scratched the side of her head and gave me a look of glee. "You never told me your name, by the way. I've seen you around, but we've never really spoken."

"Oh yeah." I chuckled. "My name is Elia. I'm fairly new here. Only been in the guild for about three months. I'm working on a project now that you might be interested in, actually. Have you ever heard of or read 'The Legend of The Sleeping Water Girl'? I'm trying to track down her location."

Natsu was on his feet again, and he nodded sagely from his page while Levy was writing something on a sheet of paper next to him. She looked at me. "I _have_ read it, actually. It's very interesting, and I have some ideas about her location, if you wanted to hear them." Natsu shoved his face against the page, as if trying to force his way out.

"I'd love to hear them! I'm kind of stuck at a dead end now, so really anything is useful right now." I responded earnestly. I hadn't really invested much in this project personally before, but I was starting to get more and more interested in it.

"Well as I'm sure you've figured out… no that's not right… as I'm sure you've figured out, I think she's somewhere on the coast. I also think she's in a cave which is open on two sides, one above, and one to the side. The lower entrance is by the sea, and the upper is in the forest." She said, and continued trying to free Natsu from his paperbound prison while still talking to me. "I think the lower entrance is probably below the water line, as well."

I hadn't thought of that. "Why do you think that?"

"Well in one version of the legend, it says _:_ ' _I see water flow, and feel it in my bones, shaking and booming._ ' Which leads me to believe that the entrance to the cave goes underwater when the tide is high, therefore the booming is the waves against the cliff above, and the shaking is from that, too. And where else would you put a girl practically made of water? On land? No. And then the other part… There!" She said triumphantly, and Natsu was suddenly sitting on the table in a great shower of confetti.

He blinked a few times, and said "Wuh?" Then looked around confused. "AH HAH! I'm free! HAPPY! Tonight we eat until we're sick!"

Happy flew into the air behind him in an excited frenzy. "Aye, sir!" Then they both charged off into the sunset.

Levy and I watched in tired amusement. "You're welcome!" She called after them, but by that point, they had already disappeared.

"So Miss Levy. Why do you think no one has found her yet? Surely if they had, it would be all over the news and the like." I said to her.

"I think she's waiting for the right time. Or perhaps, the right person. Maybe it has to be another Dragon Slayer who wakes her up." She replied, and picked up Natsu's book, flipping it over to the back. "Mirror enchantment, volume one. Huh." Then she put it down again. "I don't know for sure though. Team Shadow Gear looked into it for a while, but we didn't turn up much."

"So let's see…" I said, and took my notebook and pencil from my bag. I chewed on the eraser as I looked over my notes. I scratched out waterfall and replaced it with 'waves on cliff side'. "So far… hold on. Hey, Natsu! Did you want to come see the list so far?"

His head whipped in my direction, and some unknown food substance flew onto the floor next to him in the process. Then he grabbed his food and came over to sit next to me. "I wanf she."

"You want to see? Is that what you said?" I asked. He nodded. "Ok. So we know she's on the coast. And she's probably in a cave that gets submerged at high tide. However, my question is: even if it's below the water at high tide, that means you can see it at low tide, right? How has no one noticed it before?" I asked.

"Well this legend was written a long time ago. Supposedly around 300 years ago. My guess is water levels have risen since then. And being a water dragon slayer, she most likely has no problem being underwater for an extended period of time. So this cave is probably further underwater now. Not to mention, if it IS right up against the side of the cliff, then people aren't going to get too close to it. Their boats would be smashed against the cliff." Levy said thoughtfully.

I sighed. "We've got an awful lot of if, and's, maybe's and the like." I dropped my head into my hands. How were we supposed to find her?

* * *

As I was getting ready to go home for the night, Mira gently grabbed my shoulder to get my attention. "Elia. There is something very important you need to know about the legend." She whispered.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, I don't mean to scare you, but you need to know. Though I'm probably too late telling you this. Those who read the legends experience odd dreams, nightmares, if you will, and those who have them go a little crazy." She sighed. "I experienced it once myself, and that's why I never finished the book. It scared me. But it isn't an uncommon occurrence. It's been documented everywhere that those who try to find her either go crazy or go missing."

I looked down at my hands, and felt this odd lightness spreading throughout my limbs.

"I wanted to warn you before it happened, so you knew what you were getting yourself into." She said, and rubbed her arm absentmindedly.

Suddenly, I felt someone behind me, just a breath of wind and a flutter of clothing against the skin of my back. I had chosen today to wear my new crop top. I knew who it was immediately, from the scent that wafted forward on the air. Natsu then said "What do you mean, she'll go crazy?"

Mira looked at me, but I was focused on the floorboards. "The nightmares the people have are very realistic. I read in an archaeological magazine that the ones who tried to find her went crazy because the nightmares were horrific and felt too real. They were so certain that it had happened to them. I had one of those nightmares when I was reading that first book. Scared me to the point of not finishing the book."

I sighed then, and looked up. "Maybe that's how it was for them, but I won't go crazy. I'm strong." I looked up at Mira. "You know what happened to me. You know where I come from. I won't let this take me down."

She nodded, but Natsu just looked confused. "What? What am I missing?"

I looked back at him, just a few inches away. "I'm from the same village as Gray. We didn't know each other back then, but both of us lost family when Deliora attacked."

Natsu looked completely shocked. "Whoa. Seriously?"

I laughed humourlessly. "Unfortunately. But that's not the point. Point is: I can handle it."

"And we'll be there to help you through it!" Natsu said, and I believed him 100 percent.


	4. Rose Water 4: Lilly

**Chapter Four**

That night, I had a strange dream. I dreamt I was in a cave. It was dark. I was alone. Water was rising around my ankles. It was very cold. I ran to the back of cave, and hit solid rock. The rocks were cold and slimy, but there were also sharp. I cut my hand on the wall, but I couldn't see it. I ran a direction which I thought was left, but I was scared and it was so, so dark. I ran into something, and not gently. It was hard, but the surface was smooth. It felt like wood. A boat? Even if it wasn't, wood was buoyant. I could float. It was then that I realized how cold I was. There was a sharp pain in my stomach. I lay my hand on my stomach, and my hand came away warm and wet. Icy water lapped around my ankles.

I sat up in my bed, gasping for air. It took me several minutes to realize that I was no longer in that cave, what with how dark it was in my room. I was sweating, and the window was wide open. My feet felt like ice. I rubbed my eyes and dropped my head into my hands, and just sat there for a moment. Then I covered my feet with my blankets. I stared at them, hidden in the blankets and covered in moonlight. I was awake now, and there was no changing that. So I decided to get up and walk around outside.

It was a chilly night. I could see my breath fogging out in front of me, as I stood there on the street. I started walking, but I didn't know where I was going. I just walked until I came to a park, and I stood in the frosted grass, staring at the stars. I heard something behind me, and when I turned around to look, I saw Happy there, flying at about the height of my head. I turned back to the stars. "Hey, Happy. What are you doing here?"

"Mira asked us to go by the guild and get a book for you that she found. She didn't know where you lived or how to contact you." He said, and landed on my shoulder. "She said she thought it might help you. I don't know what it is though." He pulled the book out of his little bag, and handed it to me. "By the way, why are you here? It's late, and it's cold out."

"I don't know." I said. I didn't feel like explaining my nightmare. "Just felt like a walk." I replied softly. "Where's Natsu?"

"He's around." Happy said, looking around, then flying up again off my shoulder, all the while giving me a look of concern.

I sighed, and turned toward the road to head home. Or what counted as home, now. Happy asked where I was going, and I replied: "Back to bed. Maybe I can sleep now." But I didn't really feel like sleeping. I knew somewhere inside me that what I had seen wasn't a just a nightmare. It had been real, for her. When she'd been sealed away, they never explicitly said how she was sealed. One assumed it was through magical means. But what if it wasn't? What if the barrier was physical? With sudden inspiration, I ran home.

I tossed the book Mira gave me onto the counter, spraying dust on everything within a five foot radius (usually it was my sister who cleaned things, but I hadn't seen her for a few months, so I had just kind of forgotten to clean a few things). Then I took out my books and looked again at the atlases, then took out the one I had grabbed on natural disasters a couple weeks ago, just because I was morbidly curious, I guess. I flipped to the floods section, and found nothing. Then onto the mudslides and avalanches, and found nothing. As my inspiration began to slip, I found an entry on an earthquake that rocked the land, and brought with it a monstrous tsunami which entirely changed the landscape.

 _In the year 412, the earthquake Rao shook the countryside where the natives had lived underground, causing many tunnels to collapse and a sinkhole the size of modern day Magnolia was created on the oceanfront; upwards of 1,000 people were killed in the rubble. A few hours after the earthquake a tsunami hit the side of the land, and carved out the rest of the tunnels making them collapse as well, and killing all the people left inside. It's unknown at this point exactly how many were killed in the tsunami and how many were trapped in the rubble, left to starve or drown under what was now upwards of 200 feet of water. Even to this day, the cliffs along the northern coast continue to deteriorate, causing environmentalists to continue to study this area._

I stared at this passage for a moment, and then looked back at my atlases. The upper coast of Fiore had a strange bubble on the top where a river began, and an outcropping of rock to the right of it. Now I was intrigued. I finally had a lead.

The next day, I once again found myself at the library. This time, I was referencing history books. I was looking at the year 412, as mentioned. I finally found a passage about it, saying pretty much the same thing, only it had something none of the written legends did: a name. _Lilly,_ I thought to myself. There was a very strong water magic user in that village when the earthquake and tsunami had hit. In the aftermath, no one could find her, and all assumed she had died. But from what I read and that nightmare I had, she'd been injured badly, and when the tunnels collapsed, she had been trapped inside. If she hadn't known water magic, she probably would have drowned. As it was, she hadn't eaten anything in 300+ years, so who even knew if she was alive? But I had a lead.

I ran full speed to the guild hall to present my findings, only to find that Natsu had gone on a job that morning. "Sorry, Elia. He should be back soon though. It was a fairly easy job close to Magnolia, so she should return by tonight." Mira said, smiled at me. "I'm glad you found something!"

"Me too." I said sleepily, and went to a table to wait for Natsu, Happy, and Lucy to return. I was tired from the night before, and slowly began to fall asleep…

Before I knew it, Natsu was shaking me awake. Lucy and Happy were both there too, and I realized how late it must be. But! I had to show Natsu my findings! So I quickly pulled my stuff from my bag and began to go over it with the three of them, explaining how I'd come up with my idea, including my nightmare, where I thought she might be, and what exactly happened to her.

Natsu nodded solemnly. "That's pretty grim. How did she get hurt?"

"The original legend said she was nearly killed by Acnologia. Which I guess would make sense. You guys bear witness to just how powerful he is. I have no doubt he could've caused the earthquake that made the tunnels collapse and kill so many people. And then the tsunami afterwards could either have been from him, or it could have been from her. Or her dragon I guess." I said, scratching an itch on the top of my head. Then it hit me: "What if the dragons were fighting, but the natives, hidden in the tunnels, assumed it was an earthquake and a tsunami? What if Lilly was injured in the fighting?"

"Who's Lilly?" Natsu asked, confused.

"My history book said there was a girl who used very strong water magic and was often with a bright blue dragon. She was remarkable in her strength because the tribe only used element based magic,so there were a lot of water magic wielders, but she was surpassed them all by the time she 10, or so the history book said. Anyway, my thought is that she and her dragon were fighting Acnologia when she was very badly hurt. She then made her way to the tunnels for whatever reason, maybe to help save the villagers, and that's when they began to collapse?"

Lucy looked at all my notes and books spread out on the table. I easily took up most of the table. "Yeah, that sounds about right. So you think she's over here somewhere?" She indicated the inverted bubble on the map that I had noticed earlier.

"Yes. I actually wanted to pinpoint the location of the ruins of the tribe and see if I could somehow go there and look around."

"I'm coming with you." Natsu said. "We could help you. And she might know where Igneel is, or might at least have a clue." He said.

I nodded. "Well, from what I've been able to gather, they lived right about here." I said, pointing to an area along the coast where the river began. "If I'm right about Acnologia being the cause of this, then I'll say she's right around the beginning of the river."

"You're pretty good at this Elliott." Natsu said.

" _Elia."_ I scowled.

"Yeah. So when can we go?" He asked, staring at me beseechingly.

"Well… whenever, I guess. I've got no jobs lined up, and you just finished one, so you guys should be good, right? Maybe… a couple days? Enough time to pack up some provisions and other things we might need?" I said.

"Ok with me." Lucy said. Natsu nodded.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said, jumping in the air and throwing his tiny paw ahead of him in the air.

"Ok then. We leave in two days for the Fiore coast to wake the sleeping legend." I said, and with that, I slammed my book shut with a big grin on my face.


	5. Rose Water 5: Nightmares

**Chapter Five**

While it would've been nice to leave in two days, I realized as I got home just how ma y variables there were. We would need a team, of several people, not just us. Preferably an earth magic user, maybe Maki, if she was up to it, her being a wood magic user. Juvia, definitely, since we would need help with the water. Hmm. Who else? I pondered this as I went inside and grabbed a piece of paper from my desk. I wrote down the names I had come up with so far, and was trying to think of any more who could help. Ah, Levy. And Fried, too. Gajeel. We could use his steel to hold up the tunnels and add some support columns and the like. Come to think of it, I didn't know anyone in the guild who used earth magic. I knew Jura of Lamia Scale exceled at it, but at the same time, I didn't really want to involve other guilds. This had been a quest I had started, and while I knew we didn't have everyone we needed, the stubborn part of me wanted to keep this quest to myself. I knew I'd have to suck it up though, and decided to pen a letter to Lamia Scale to see if Jura was willing to accompany us. While I was at it, I decided to invite Sherry and Lyon, because who knows? Maybe we would need their skills as well. I wrote letters to the other guild members as well, inviting them along, and in Juvia's letter, I stressed how much we needed her talents, and (while it was perhaps a dirty trick) I told her how Gray would be amazed by her outstanding abilities if she were to help us.

I was exhausted again, and as soon as I put the letters in the mailbox, I went back inside and lay down on my bed, and fell asleep like that. That night I had another dream, but this one was sad. I dreamt I was looking at this extremely handsome man, with eyes like the sea, and black hair that shone in the sun. We were both dressed in tribal clothes. I didn't know who he was, but I knew I loved him. But I was yelling at him to leave me and save himself. He kept saying no, and I was crying, and then a humungous black shape slammed into the ground behind him, and I was pulling his hand and trying to push him behind me while he was pushing me behind him. There were so many screams, and then a roar so loud that I couldn't hear anything for a few second afterwards. I cast a spell, and made a ball of water around the black shape, which I now knew was a dragon, and squeezed my hand, making the water ball contract around the dragon. I fit to the shape of the dragon like a second skin, and I used that to force the wings to flap. Or try, anyway. The dragon roared at me and shook off the water, like my magic was nothing. Then a claw swung in our direction, and I saw it pierce through the boy in front of me, and then through me, too.

I woke up screaming, covered in a cold sweat. What the heck was with these nightmares? I found myself sobbing my eyes out, and I couldn't control it. After what felt like an eternity of senseless crying later, I got up and ran outside, no destination in mind. I hadn't planned on it, but I found myself outside Natsu's house. I pounded on the door, tears still streaming from my eyes. I didn't know what I was doing, but Natsu came running and flung the door open, probably expecting someone to attack. He seemed completely and utterly shocked to see me there, eyes red and tears flowing from my eyes. I was about to explain, but all that came out was a choked sob. I was shaking from the cold, fingers and feet going numb, and my breath fogging out in front of me.

"Elia?!" Natsu asked as my knees gave out from the cold. He scooped me up and carried me inside, setting me on the couch and wrapping a blanket around me. He still looked confused, but then he seemed to get it. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I just barely managed a nod. Then, after several deep breaths, I said haltingly: "I-I don't even know w-why I'm crying so h-hard." I wiped my eyes and did a little half laugh. "It was um…" I looked for the right words. "W-well, I think I k-know why she went into the tunnels. A b-boy she loved was k-k-killed while he was trying to protect her. T-that's what I g-got from that nightmare. At least on the b-bright side, these nightmares help fill in the blanks. Maybe they can help tell us where she is." I wiped my eyes, my breathing ragged. "S-sorry. I know I'm a mess. And it's late. I didn't mean to bother you, but I also didn't know where Lucy lived."

He shook his head. "It's ok. I told you we'd be here for you." He got up, and stretched. Then he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Do you want to stay here tonight? I don't mind. Plus, that means I'll be there to help if you have another nightmare."

I considered, but I figured I probably shouldn't. I lay my head back against the cushion. "I don't even want to go back to sleep." With that, I rolled over, and wrapped the blanket tighter around me. Then I snorted. "I forgot to lock my house."

Natsu scratched his head, looking at the door. "I'm sure it'll be ok for the night, if you wanted to stay."

I really didn't feel like getting up again, since drowsiness was beginning to settle on me, warm and inviting. All that crying had worn me out. "Hey, Natsu? Can I ask you to do something silly? Just a little favor?"

"Hm?" He said, looking at me.

I blushed a bit as I said it, but I was too tired and unreasonably upset to care. "Will you hold me until I fall asleep again? Just come and sit with me so I won't be alone. I would really appreciate it."

He blushed a bit too, but he simply said "ok", and came over to sit with me. I lay my head on his lap, and he put a hand on my head, and stroked my hair until a fell asleep a few minutes later as one last tear fell from my eye.

When I woke up in the morning, my eyes were dry, and felt disgusting. I could only imagine what a sight I must present. I opened my eyes then, and smiled. Natsu had made a little bed on the floor next to the couch, and was sound asleep, looking completely passed out. I felt a rush of happiness, and a lesser one of guilt. After all, I had woken him up at an unknown hour because I had a bad dream and ran all the way across town in my pjs… which I remembered consisted of short shorts, and a tank top. I wrapped the blankets around me tighter, but I wasn't cold. It was actually delightfully warm in here. Probably from Natsu. I wouldn't be surprised if he exuded an extraordinary amount of heat on a daily basis, being a fire wizard and all. I felt better than last night, but at the same time, every time I thought of that dream, my mood plummeted. Best not to, I guess.

Instead, I got up, wearing the blanket like a toga. I decided to make breakfast, since Natsu had been kind enough to let me stay the night. Before I cooked anything, I inspected his kitchen to see what I could make. There wasn't a lot in here. I sighed, and figured I could go home, cook something, and then bring it here. I looked at Natsu, who was actually looking right at me. I did a little scream, since he startled me. "S-sorry. I was going to make breakfast. I was looking around to see what I could make."

He laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I don't have a lot of food in there now. Haven't been out to get any since we got back from Tenrou Island."

"That's ok. We can go to my house. This way you can see where I live, too." I said, and silently pleaded for him to say yes.

"Sure. I'm ok with that." He replied, then went into his bedroom for a moment, and returned with a coat. "You weren't wearing a coat last night, so you can borrow mine. As for shoes, though… you can borrow mine! My feet won't get cold."

"Are you sure?" I asked, concerned. I knew he didn't really get cold, but I was still worried.

"Yup. Come on, let's go!" He said, grinning. Happy was suddenly behind him, and while he didn't seem to know where we were going, he replied with a chipper "Aye, sir!"

So we set off, and while we walked, we talked, and I told him about inviting the others. He nodded, agreeing, and said it was a good idea. When we finally got to my house, I found I had indeed left it unlocked, but the door was shut, and everything was fine inside. "Sorry about the dust. I've been a little negligent in my cleaning since my sister left a few months ago." It wasn't that dusty, but still. Though the kitchen was nearly spotless, considering all the time I spent in here.

"You what?" Natsu asked, sitting on the stool at the island counter.

"I haven't been cleaning as much as I should have, eh heh heh…" I laughed nervously. "Ok, stay here. I'll be right back." I ran to my room and put on some regular clothes and my apron (I usually made a big mess) and dashed back out to the kitchen. Natsu was looking at the ornaments on my fridge; the pictures and such that I had stuck to it. I smiled at him, as I came back into the kitchen, and cracked my knuckles. "Ok! Who's hungry?"


	6. Rose Water 6: Heading Out

**Chapter Six**

I grabbed the eggs from my fridge, and pulled Natsu over to the stove. "You ok with an omelet?" I asked, and cracked an egg into the pan.

"What's that?" He asked.

"It's a food my dad used to make all the time when I was young. He was a foreigner, so he brought all this food and all these recipes over here that no one here had ever heard of. Its eggs and a few other things. I like mine with some mashed potato, bacon, and just a dash of salt." I said, and put those ingredients into the pan as I said them.

"Smells really good." He said. "I'll try it."

"What do you want in it?" I asked as I slid my omelet onto a plate.

"Can I try yours?" He asked, and I handed him a fork.

"Guess I don't need to warn you that it's hot, huh?" I said, laughing.

"Nope. It's very good. I want one like yours." He said, and sat down on the stool again.

I gave him my plate and said "Then you go ahead and eat that one, and I'll make another for me. Happy! Do you want one, too? I can put fish in it!" I called behind me. I didn't know where Happy was, but I knew he was here somewhere.

He came flying in as I was making my omelet (to Natsu's annoyance; he kept saying the omelet I'd already made was mine and I should eat it, to me explaining that I'm still making food and it'll just get cold if he doesn't eat it. He ate it), and said "Ok! Make sure there's a lot of fish in it! Oh, and make sure it's raw! I don't like cooked fish." He called a thank you as he flew out the other door in the kitchen, and once again disappeared into the other room.

As soon as we all had our food, I sat down at my desk in the living room, while Natsu and Happy sat on the couch, messing around. Once again, I was trying to pinpoint the exact location of the ruins of the native village, but I wasn't having much luck. I knew it the village and been somewhere along the coast, and I knew that the majority of it was probably underwater, if it wasn't all. I cross-referenced history books and maps while I ate my omelet. I compared the maps of present day Fiore with ones I found of Fiore 400 years ago while I cleaned my plate, and I analyzed my findings while I got a drink of water. Meanwhile, Natsu watched over my shoulder as I made notes and circled things in red pen, now and then making little comments and asking questions. Even Happy seemed invested, and before I knew it, I had a more solid idea of where we could look.

After the dishes had been cleaned up and food had been eaten, we headed towards the guild hall to meet with the others who I had requested help from. We continued discussing the legend, and Natsu laughed at something that I quickly forgot, mostly because his laugh was so infectious. I slowly began to realize that I had a crush on him, and I hated myself for it.

When we arrived at the guild hall, everyone was already gathered, including Lucy and the Lamia Scale crew. I was shocked, but I was pleasantly surprised. So I decided to explain the situation in more depth. First I introduced myself. "Hello everyone. My name is Elia. Some of you know me already, and for those of you who don't, I recently joined Fairy Tail, and this is a quest I decided to do. Natsu and Lucy and Happy decided to help me with it. Let me tell you a bit about it. Well, it started when I found this book in the Archives. I thought it was a fictional story at first, but I quickly found out that it wasn't. I decided to take up trying to find her, the girl in the legend, and at first, it seemed kind of silly to indulge in it, but I became more and more invested as things actually started to make sense. There was a village where the legend said there was. There were countless reports about this girl in the village who was especially skilled at water magic, and was famous in the village for it, since this village consisted entirely of mages who only used elemental magic, meaning there were tons of other people who used water magic. I found that village. In the different versions of the legends, all of them said the same thing: the village had been destroyed. This village had been destroyed by an earthquake/tsunami combination. In the original legend I read, she spoke of ice, indicating the north. This was the only village in the north of Fiore that had been destroyed by any kind of natural disaster in the past… well, ever. There were several other clues, all of which would take too long to explain in detail. Long story short, I need, no, _we_ need your help in finding her and rescuing her. The legends claim she was sealed away in a long sleep. But do to the tunnels in her village collapsing, and water from the sea flooding them, we'll need the help of all you to get to where she is." I said, looking around at all the faces around me. "Juvia. We needed you especially because she is most likely considerably far down in the tunnels, from what I read. Meaning the tunnels will be flooded with water and debris. We'll need to hold back the water or help us move through it, whichever works best for you."

"Roger." She said, looking determined. "Juvia will help Gray-sama and everyone else as best she can."

"Mr. Jura. You have an unparalleled ability to control the earth around you. We need you especially too, since the tunnels will be filled with stone and dirt. We'll need your help to move around freely under the ground." I said.

He bowed his head at me. "I will do my best."

"Awesome. Thank you." I replied, and bowed my head as well. "Ok. Then, where are the ice boys? Ah, there you are. Gray and Lyon. You two are also important. There may be times when Juvia will be busy and we will need you two to help hold back the water." I sighed. "Also as a disclosure to you all: in all of the legends I read, there were stories of the things that lived in the tunnels now. Monsters and beasts living in the darkness, and flourishing in the depths." I close my eyes. "I read about some very powerful and aggressive ones. I can't guarantee the safety of any of you here, not even myself. If you still would like to come, then I really would appreciate it. If not, I 100 percent understand." I opened my eyes and looked around me. "I'm not going to abandon this quest, though. I've already devoted so much to it that I'm not backing out now. Who is with me?" I asked, and I saw everyone looking around and exchanging glances.

Natsu then decided to add: "I'm doing this because she doesn't deserve to stay buried underground in cold water and rock forever. And she might know something about Igneel, and where he is. I'm not going to abandon it either."

Gray nodded. "Someone has to be there to protect you crazy kids. I'm in."

"Juvia will accompany you."

"I will go too." Lyon added, and Sherry then agreed as well.

Jura smiled. "I said I would help you, since you specifically said you needed me. I don't go back on my word."

Everyone agreed to come with me. I felt a sense of joy and pride like I hadn't felt before. It felt good. "Sherry and Maki. I asked for two as well because I felt we could use your talents in this. Maki, with your wood magic: in every legend retelling, it always mentioned something about her being in oak. We'll need your abilities to help lead us to her. Sherry, your dolls that you can create will be especially useful should we face an enemy or if, heaven forbid, a tunnel begins to collapse on top of us and your abilities would be able to stop it.

"Okay, everyone know what we're doing?" I asked. Everyone said they did. "Now we just have to pick a day to leave, and a time and a place, gather supplies, all that good stuff." So we got down to planning. We would meet again at the guild hall in two days, so we'd leave one day after my initial plan. We wanted to leave around 10 in the morning. In the meantime, we would collect supplies for the trip: food, medical equipment, clothes, etc. I decided to bring extra clothes, in case she needed them, which she probably would.

Finally, the day came, and at 9:30 in the morning, I walked through the doors of the guild hall, loaded down with my heavy bag. It was huge, made for camping or some such nonsense. It had been my dad's, but when he died, he left it to us. I'd never had a use for it before, and it felt good to use it, for some reason.

I set my bag down on the table closest to the doors, and several people headed in my direction. I turned to see that it was some of the people going with me to find the girl (I knew her name, but I couldn't bring myself to call her by it; it sounded too familiar for someone I'd never met, though I guess 'girl' was worse), but not all of them were here yet. The only ones missing were Jura, Happy, and Natsu. We waited for them, and gathered in a circle talking. I'd reserved a wagon the day before, which would take us up to a nearby town called Agapanthus, and we'd take a carriage from there to the town of Alstroemeria, where we'd have to take a boat to the site of the village. It was inaccessible from the land, sunken as it was, and we needed to go underwater anyway. I knew Natsu would have fun with all the different vehicles we'd be on today, but unfortunately, I couldn't really help that. Or could I?

When they arrived, we headed out to the coach depot, and loaded in, to Natsu's vehement objections. _Here we go._ I thought. _We're really doing this. We're going to find the lost dragon slayer._


	7. Rose Water 7: Illusion

**Chapter Seven**

We were on the coach, headed north. I had packed warm clothes, but I was still a bit cold. Natsu was no help. He was down for the count. I took out the blanket I had brought with me, and covered myself in it. As I looked around the coach, I saw that I wasn't the only one who was cold. Juvia was huddled against Gray, who, oddly enough, had his arm around her. The coach hit a rock and jerked, and I looked over at Jura. His nose was red, but otherwise, he seemed ok. Lyon was looking at Juvia like he was jealous of Gray, and Sherry was snuggled up against Lyon. Maki was perfectly fine in a little egg shaped covering she had made for herself out of wood. It probably kept all the heat in, and that was why she had made it. The only thing I could see of her was the tips of her boots. In retrospect, maybe a coach wasn't the best idea. A train would've kept us warm, but was ten times more expensive. I guess it was time for me to make my move.

"Natsu, there's something I want to try on you." I said, leaning down to look at him lying comatose on the floor.

"What?" He said weakly.

"Do you know what kind of magic I use?" I asked him. Several people looked over at me, but no one seemed to know.

He shook his head, but then went even greener, so instead replied with a barely audible "No."

"Good." I said. And thought of the spell that would be most appropriate in this situation. "Visua chan." I whispered, and touched his forehead.

Slowly, the green on his face went away, and after a couple of minutes, he sat up. "Woah. What did you do?"

I smiled. "It's a spelled I know. Worked like a charm, I guess." I laughed.

"Sure did!" He said. "Hey, are you cold? Your lips are blue."

"Yeah, I'm a little chilly." I said, and tucked my feet into the blanket, but they were still cold, even through my boots.

Natsu suddenly lit on fire, and I panicked for a moment until I remembered that he was a fire wizard. He was exuding heat, and it was delightful.

I laughed again, and said "I do appreciate it, but don't light the carriage on fire, ok?"

His flames went out, but he continued to put out body heat. I noticed how everybody in the carriage seemed to shift towards him, though it seemed they didn't notice they were doing it.

Lucy leaned over to me asked what kind of magic I used. I snorted and looked over at Natsu, making sure he wasn't listening. "It's illusion. I created the illusion in his head that we weren't moving, and the carriage was riding smooth. But don't tell him though, or the illusion will break." She nodded, and we looked at each other sneakily, relishing in my little secret. How long it would work for, I didn't know. I could only hope it held out long enough for us to reach the city.

The coach continued on its bumpy way, but Natsu didn't even notice. He was too busy being our space heater. Typically, this would be the part where Gray would make some snide comment about Natsu actually having a use, but he was silent today, as if he were holding himself back for Juvia's sake. I didn't mind it though. It made the ride much more comfortable. I even put my blanket away.

We reached the city about two hours later. It was a small city, and it didn't have a train stop. Looks like we would've had to use a carriage anyway. There was a little café around the corner from the carriage depot, and we all headed there to fill up our bellies and to warm up a bit. Natsu was a great space heater, but sometimes hot chocolate was necessary, too.

When we got there, Natsu asked me: "Hey, Elia. How long does this spell last for?"

"Depends."

"On what?" He asked.

"Mostly on you. I have to maintain it, as well. As long as my magic power holds out, and as long you keep believing that's working. If you think that I'll fail you or let you down, it'll break." I responded, and sat down at a table. "You'll just have to trust that I'll keep it up."

He smiled, and sat down across from me. "I trust you. I believe in you, too."

I smiled at that. Soon after eating I said, "Hey, Natsu. To relieve a little stress, do you want to see what I can really do?" I knew what I was getting myself into. Boy, this was going to be fun.

He looked over at me, confused. Actually, everyone did. But it was Natsu who said: "You want to fight me?"

I grin devilishly. "I surely do. Let's see what the Salamander has." Then I turned and headed towards the door. "Don't tell me you'll wimp out on me because I'm girl, now."

He stood up so quickly that the chair fell over behind him. "Like hell I am! You better be ready, I won't hold back!"

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Salamander."

We walked away from the town a bit, and when we reached a clear field, I turned to face him. We stood about ten feet away from each other, and I could tell he was assessing the situation. I did the same. I knew his abilities well. He knew one of spells, but he didn't know what kind of magic I used. "The one rule…" I said, "…is no outside interference."

"Good with me." He said. Then he charged at me, fists flaming. Before he took even a step, I had cast three spells. The first: A trick of the mind. I made it appear as though there were suddenly a canyon separating us. I made it appear as though I were widening it with my magic. "So." He said. "You use earth magic?"

"Do I?" I asked, and then the second spell I had cast came to fruition: a barrier of water sprung up around him, dousing the flames. I had learned water magic as well.

Natsu then looked at his hands, shocked. Then at me, as if recognizing that I wouldn't be an easy target. He swirled around in his little water bubble, then sank. I noticed my spell weakening. He was going to boil the water away. I then released the spell, and the water bubble exploded.

"Guys? Is this really the time?" Lucy called out, but I ignored her. Natsu did, too.

He made flames appear at his feet, and he made to leap over the canyon. In reality, he was only about ten feet away. A leap like that, and he'd be over my head and into the trees. Water shot from the ground like a geyser under his feet, and I threw my hands up, directing the water. I was rather skilled with it, but illusions were my strong suit. My third spell was finally in action: my fail-safe. The water soared above my head, creating a huge pillar reaching above the tree tops. My canyon illusion shattered, and his eyes unclouded. I went to cast another spell, this one to drain his magic and his stamina. "Illu garo!" I cried, and stone walls as high as the clouds were erected around him. Of course, it was illusion, but he didn't know that. The water geyser stopped, and all the water I had collected was now in a giant ball over my head, and it was _heavy_. I began to wrap it around the illusion of the stone tower I had made, and make it so his fire wouldn't work as well. I knew he could make fire underwater, but the water was thin, creating a skin around the tower. Even if he were able to penetrate one spot, more would instantly fill its place. I felt him inside my illusion, smashing against the walls, but having very little effect.

"Is it just me, or is Natsu actually having a hard time?" Lucy asked to no one in particular. A couple of them nodded, but I was too distracted to see who.

I began to let my spell deteriorate, but I knew he was nowhere close to out of magic power yet. I needed him to still have some. After all, he was our little space heater. My rock wall illusion exploded, and Natsu leapt from the rubble, covered in bright flames. It was then that I created illusion clones, a whole bunch of me that weren't real. "Illu coe!"

He stopped, and looked around. I had created 10 clones, while I hid in the bushes some distance off. I made one of my clones move to attack him, but she skirted out of his reach at the last moment. I couldn't let any of them touch him, because then the spell would be broken. He'd figure out that they weren't really there.

After a few minutes of this, Lucy jumped up and said "Ok. Guys? If we don't go get a coach soon, we're not going to be able to get one."

I sighed. I knew that I needed to end it, so I stepped from the bushes as my clones dodged his attacks, and I dispelled the clones, leaving only me standing on the opposite end of the field from where Natsu was. He looked around confused, so I decided to do a sneak attack. I ran up behind him and leaped on his back, laughing. "I win!" I said.

He was completely shocked for a moment, and then he laughed too. "You're good!" He said, and I let myself down.

"Come on, time for your favorite part. Just remember: as long as you believe in me, the spell will continue to hold." I said, pointing a finger at him.

"Ok." He said, and we started off towards the carriage depot, our breath making clouds that rose and fell away behind us.


	8. Rose Water 8: Sleeping Love

**Chapter 8**

The carriage this time was covered, unlike the last one, which was basically a wooden basket with a tarp over it, like a pioneer's wagon. Wood benches against the walls and the flaps of the cover allowed the frigid air to whip through the wagon. It had been pretty miserable, and I felt awful about putting everyone through that. This wagon had been a little more expensive, but it was much nicer. The seats were padded and the heat was kept inside the wagon this time, so Natsu didn't have to be our little space heater. He was seated next to Lucy, dozing off. The cabin of the wagon was rather large, enough to fit all of us comfortably.

I leaned my head back against the back of the carriage, as we went over a large bump in the road. I was afraid to sleep, but I didn't know what else to do. I sighed, and pulled out a book I had on the legend. We still didn't know how to wake her up, so I pulled out my journal as well and tried to make sense of what information I had. All I knew so far was: " _She slept in love and she wake in such, like the gentle stroke of a lover's hand across a face, or as a light summer gale would so whisper to a tree."_ I didn't know what exactly it meant. I needed more clues. Clues I just didn't have. I hated to do it, but maybe an hour or two of sleep might be exactly what I needed.

I put away my things and tried to get more comfortable, which really wasn't easy in a moving vehicle. I would try though. So I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat again.

It was quicker than before, but dark. Just like all the other times, I had no control over anything I did. I was just a spectator. I could hear things… gentle whispers. But there was something else. The sound of water. Rushing in, and it echoed off the walls. I was in a cave. I'd seen this before. It was dark, and I was afraid, and I was in a lot of pain. My whole torso was warm and wet. I could barely walk, and I knew my leg was broken. I could feel scratches all over my body, but the biggest was the one running down my torso. One long claw mark, thanks to Acnologia. I had one on my arm too, down to the bone, all the way down my arm. I had tears running down my face like a waterfall, because it hurt so much. I got up, took a few steps, and ran smack into something hard. It felt like wood. I coughed, and liquid filled my mouth. Blood, hot and tasted like rust. I was going to die. I knew it. But then I heard a voice. _Lay down in the boat._

"Aqurea?"I gasped, but it wasn't my voice. Awk-ree-ah… I knew somehow, that this was the dragon, my dragon, my mother.

 _Yes. Get in the boat. I can seal away your body in the boat. I can make it so you don't die here. Do it, please. Quickly. Acnologia is not dead. The world needs you to survive. You can help with his destruction. But in order to that, you must live._

I was so cold already. I had no magic power left, and my life was draining away before me. I could hear him above me, way up above on the surface, fighting against the tidal wave that Aqurea and I had made. I knew it had killed all my people. I knew that most of them had already been dead, and he would have hunted down anyone else who had survived. And yet… Acnologia had made sure that Aqurea would die. He ripped her soul from her body, something he did not have a chance to 100 years ago when she hatched. She was so young when all the other dragons had been killed that Acnologia had not seen her… but now I knew she would die without me. If I died, she would too. No matter how much I wanted it over, I couldn't die yet. So I climbed into the boat (which I almost couldn't do because it hurt so much and my leg was useless) and lay down inside it. I was so tired at this point, and cold, and I hurt so much that I couldn't think about anything. Stones and dust were raining down from above. Acnologia was pounding on the ground above, trying to make the remaining tunnels cave in. If they all did, like he intended, I would be crushed.

 _It's ok, my love._ Aqurea whispered, as I coughed and my chest heaved. _Let me help you. Let me save you. It will be ok. I love you._ I felt a gentle brush of water against my cheek, warm water, and it felt like a caress. Everything began to fade away. Before it went dark, I saw him. His face.

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor of the wagon, gasping for breath and I could still feel and the cuts and my life flowing out of me. I could hear voices, shouting at me. My body was shaking, but that was because I was shaking, and because someone else seemed to be trying to wake me up. Finally, I began to see things. The roof of the wagon. I could hear my ragged breathing, and I could feel that I was covered in sweat, and my face was wet like I'd been crying. The wagon jolted, and everything came into focus. It was Lucy who was shaking me, a look a terror on her face. "Elia! Elia! What's wrong?! Elia! Please!"

I exhaled sharply, and said "I'm ok. I'm ok." Lucy helped me sit up, and I noticed that a few other people did too. I dropped my head into my hands, trying to calm my breathing and my heartbeat. I looked at Natsu, who was next to Lucy on my right side. He nodded, because he knew what had happened. To me, anyway. I stood up, and sat back down on the bench.

"Elia? What was that? What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Well." I started, and then paused. I looked to Natsu for support, and then took a deep breath. Still looking at Natsu, I said, "Anyone who reads the legends and actively takes up the search for her has these dreams. It's been confirmed throughout history. It won't happen to you. Only to me, since I'm the one who initiated this mission and did all the research and so on. I've had a couple, and they've led me to clues about where she could be and how to wake her up. That's what this last one was." I pushed my bangs out of the way. I liked my hair. It was such a light purple most people thought it was white. My eyes matched. My skin was as pale as snow, or at least it felt like it was. Probably even more so right now. I was small, only 5'4", and barely over 100 pounds, but it felt like my body would shake hard enough to rattle the whole carriage. "She was dying. Very obviously so. But she went into this boat. A wooden one. And her dragon was there. Aqurea. That was her name. The water dragon. Aqurea told Lilly to get into the boat, and that she would seal her away in it. Keep her from dying from her wounds. I don't know if she was sealed as is, or if she healed while was in the boat. I should have asked Wendy to come. Didn't even think about it." I sighed. "Anyway, in the lore, it says that ' _She slept in love and she wake in such, like the gentle stroke of a lover's hand across a face, or as a light summer gale would so whisper to a tree.'_ I am trying to figure out how my last dream correlates with this, because I feel like that's what this one was about."

Everyone looked shocked, except for Natsu. He just looked puzzled. "What does it mean by ' _and she wake in such'_?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." I said.

Lucy rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "How was she sealed?"

I shook my head. "I didn't see the actual spell or the sealing part. It went dark before I could. At least we know she was alive when she was sealed. That's something."

"Ok." Lucy said, still with the thoughtful look. "What happened before she was sealed?"

"Well, the dragon was talking to her. Convincing her to get into the boat. And she was telling her that she loved her. The dragon was telling Lilly that she loved her. And there was warm water that stroked her face, which was odd, because all the water in the room was cold ocean water. Just before everything went dark, a boy flashed across her mind. It was a boy she had loved, and had seen Acnologia kill right in front of her."

Lucy nodded. "So when she was sealed, she was completely surrounded by love. Her dragon told her that she loved her. She thought of the boy she loved. Her dragon sealed her away inside the boat to keep her safe."

"Because her dragon was sealed inside her, if she died, so would the dragon. Lilly agreed because she didn't want her dragon to die, either."

"Like I said, her last thoughts were of love." Lucy said. "I wonder if that's how we have to break it. Some display of love? Possibly towards her?" Lucy tapped her chin, then her eyes flicked over to me, and she blushed. "Sorry, that sounded corny. I'm just guessing here."

"No, no! It's a good guess. It's a great guess." I said, reaching behind me for my journal. I flipped it open and wrote down Lucy's theory. I realized I still had tear tracks down my ace, and wiped at them as I wrote. "It's the best theory I have so far, though I'm not sure how to accomplish it. None of us here are in love with her, as far as I know, and none of us therefore could wake her up." I tapped my pencil against the paper, and looked up at Lucy. "But it's something to work with. Thank you." I went to put away my journal, but decided to keep it out for the sake of research.

Suddenly Natsu fell face flat to the floor. "Natsu!" Everyone yelled collectively. But Natsu just lay there on the floor, and didn't say a word.


	9. Rose Water 9: Travel

**Chapter 9**

Natsu lay on the floor, and we stood up so quickly the coach shook and leaned dangerously. We all then tried to not move, so the carriage would even out.

Natsu let out a pathetic sounding groan. "I don't feel good." He said, and to my shock and embarrassment, I realized the spell must have broken sometime after I fell woke up, since I wasn't focusing on maintaining it.

"Oh, Natsu! I'm so sorry! I let the spell fall apart! It must have happened when I woke up. I'm so sorry. Let me recast it." I said, kneeling down over him. Visua chan!" I said, and cast the spell over him. Really, it didn't change anything but your perception of balance, which helped greatly with motion sickness.

The green left his face slowly, and when it had completely left, he sat up and looked straight at me. "What kind of magic do you use? It's not a healing magic. It feels different, and the spells are different."

I gulped and decided to let a little white lie. "I use water magic." I said, and I noticed Juvia looking at me curiously. She knew what water magic user's magic power felt like, and I knew mine didn't feel like that. Unfortunately, Natsu seemed to notice too.

"You might, but that isn't your main magic. I sense something else, too. And I don't remember there being a spell for motion sickness that a water user can use."

I gulped, and looked away. "Natsu, trust me on this one. You don't want to know. I'll tell you later, I promise, but not right now."

"I want to know now." He said, still looking at me intensely.

"As soon as I tell you, the spell will break. You'll have to go the rest of the ride in the carriage and on the boat motion sick. Not to mention the way back." I said, deciding to play a little dirty. "It won't work again after that."

He turned a little bit green. "Well. Later, then."

I nodded. "Later."

It had already been one full day since we'd been in this carriage. One more and we'd be at the coast. We'd have to rent out a private boat. I wasn't sure how we'd reserve one, wasn't sure if we'd even be able to reserve one. I tapped my chin, thinking about it. We would stop in a couple hours at a town and stay for the night, and then resume our trip tomorrow. I would have to see if I could send a message from the town to the coast town, Alstroemeria. The town we were stopping in was Heather. It was a couple hours away, so I decided to read one of my books, but this time, just for fun.

By the time we reached Heather, night had fallen. Natsu was a little green in the face, a sign of him beginning to think about the spell too much. We grabbed our bags, and Gray pulled the carriage around the back of the motel we were staying at, while I went in and reserved some rooms. Before I could, everyone else came up behind me and pulled me away from the counter. "Gak!"

"You don't have to fund everything." Lyon said, who was holding my left arm.

"I'm the one who asked you all to come along. I should be funding it."

"Nonsense. We have guild funding. Let us handle this one." He said, and waltzed up to the lady at the front desk and proceeded to pay for everything.

I scowled, but I couldn't be mad for long. Instead, I just smiled and shook my head at him. I was sharing a room with Lucy and Juvia, so us three headed on up to our room. We were about to head in when Lucy grabbed Natsu by his scarf and said sternly, "Natsu. Don't. Burn. Anything."

"I won't, I won't!" He scowled, and raced off after Gray and Lyon, who he was sharing a room with. He had a look of glee on his face, and the last time I say that look, he ended up trapped inside a magic library book.

Rolling my eyes, I opened the door to the room. These rooms were different from typical rooms, in that they all had three beds in them, as opposed to the usual two. It ended up working out well, though. In my journal, I wrote down everyone in our company:

Juvia, Lucy, Elia, Gray, Natsu, Happy, Jura, Lyon, Sherry, Maki.

I felt like I was forgetting someone, but I didn't know who, so I decided to forget about it. I put away my journal again, and lay down on the bed closest to the wall. I had no intention of sleeping again, though, so I just lay there. Then I looked over at Lucy, who was lying on the far bed. "Lucy? Do you think I did the right thing not telling him? I don't like lying."

"In this case, it's better you did. I would rather have him not motion sick." She said, and closed what looked like a diary. "Why is it bothering you? It's good you didn't." Suddenly, she cracked a smug grin. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

My eyes widened. "Ngh-"

She opened her mouth in mock surprise, then laughed one short laugh. "I knew it! Ha! So that's why you seemed to always be looking at him. Aw."

I blushed and held my cheeks, so she couldn't see. But of course, they both did, and both laughed. Juvia was the one who spoke first. "As long as you know that Gray-sama belongs to Juvia, I think that it is cute."

"Yeah!" Lucy chimed in. "It is cute. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

"It's ok." I said. "To be honest, I've never really liked anyone before. I've never even had friends before…" I looked down at my feet.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Well…" I said. I absentmindedly plucked at a loose string on the comforter of my bed.

"Hey, Elia. What's up?" Lucy said, shifting to the edge of her bed.

I sighed. "I lost my father when I was young. I am originally from the same village as Gray-"

Juvia's head snapped up. "Romantic rival?"

"-and we were there when Deliora attacked." I said quietly. Juvia looked away. "My mother was never the same. Insisted we move around a lot. Never stayed in one place for more than a year. My sister finally had enough and bought a house outside of Magnolia. It was nice, just the two of us, but I never really knew anyone. It's been 13 years now, since my father died. Seven since I started living in Magnolia with my sister. I never really stayed anywhere long enough to make friends or have crushes. Now that I've been in Magnolia for some time and have joined the guild, things are different, I guess."

Lucy smiled. "Of course things are different! I'm your friend, right?" She got up, and sat down beside me on my bed. "What's your sister's name?"

"Maloria." I said. "She's ten years older than me. I actually haven't seen her for a few months." It was true. I had no idea where she could be.

"I hope to meet her someday." Lucy said. I smiled, but on the inside, I wasn't sure she would.

That night, I slept without dreaming, for once. It was odd, but I didn't think too much of it. It was nice, not waking up having lived out someone else's death. When the morning came around, Lucy and I were the first ones awake, so we headed down to the carriage and began to load bags into the back, and get the horses ready to go. After an hour or two, the others came down a couple at a time, and loaded everything in. We were back on the road, and we had a half day ride to the coast town of Alstroemeria. We talked for the most of it, and arrived in town in the late afternoon. It was a beautiful coastal town, much like Hargeon Port, where I'd lived once. It had always been my favorite, but price-wise, finding a place to stay was not an option.

"Oh, that air smells wonderful!" I said breathlessly. "I love it!"

Lucy laughed beside me. "It sure does! So where do we get a boat?"

I looked around. "Down at the docks, somewhere. We can always make one, too, if we can't find one. We could always ask Maki if she would be willing to make one for us. Let's head down to the docks for the time being."

Lucy nodded, and we made our way to the docks. Lucy went left and I went right, and we began to ask people if they would be willing to take us over to the place we needed to go. None of them said they had a boat for rent, at least on my side. Lucy rejoined me at the stairs leading down to the dock, and while she had found a couple, but none big enough to fit all of us. So we asked Maki, and she said would make a boat big enough for all of us to fit in.

So, we decided to go into town and see what we could. It wasn't a real big town, like Hargeon Port, but it had its little quirks and neat little stores. Us girls went and walked around Main Street, while the boys headed down to play on the beach. I desperately wanted to join the boys, but felt obligated to stay with Lucy and the others. Not to mention, I didn't want to be the only girl at the beach. _Juvia would be jealous_ , I thought to myself. Not long after though, I convinced everyone to go down to the beach and join the boys. It was fun, and I enjoyed myself. However, I couldn't help feeling like a dark cloud was descending on us, and we not only couldn't see it, but would regret that we never knew it was coming.


	10. Rose Water 10: Digging Deeper

**Chapter 10**

That night, we stayed in town. It was a nice little inn, not too expensive, and right near the docks. The sleeping arrangements were the same, and everyone was pretty quick to fall asleep, having had a lot of fun today on the beach. We would leave early in the morning, and then the real mission would begin. That night was another dreamless sleep, and I was ok with that.

We headed towards the docks as the sun was rising. We had a full day of sailing ahead of us, and I would be helping with the boat today. As Maki was constructing the boat, I took a head count, to ensure everyone was here, and the boys began collecting all the supplies together. As soon as Maki was finished, we loaded everything we had into the boat, and began to get in. Natsu looked at the boat half suspiciously and half wearily, but got in just the same. He was a little green, but nowhere near enough to be out of commission. Since he was even a little sick, it indicated that he didn't really trust me, or didn't believe me or was suspicious or whatever it may have been. Either way, it might prove to be a problem later.

We sailed in the boat all day, with Juvia and me navigating and helping control the boat, with Gray managing the sails and all the finer details. A few others were on fishing duty, and the others were prepping for our infiltration of the tunnels later tonight, after Juvia and I regained enough of our magic power. I hadn't wanted to go at night, but I also didn't want to sleep in the boat, and there was no place to make camp alongside the sheer cliff walls.

When we reached the area that I had pinpointed on the map, it was already dark. Juvia and I both decided on a quick nap to recoup, and then the others would finish getting everything we needed ready. I told them to wake us in about an hour. Not too long, but it wasn't a short time either. I wanted to get down there, badly, but I needed to make sure we would be able to breathe.

I drifted off to sleep, and I did dream this time, but it was hazy and diluted, like a memory that was only half remembered. I couldn't tell what was going on. Lots of flashing lights and odd noises, like I was underwater. That's it: I was underwater. I could breathe though, as was common for a water user. Uncommon though was that she had no air bubble around her head or anything like that that I could see. I knew I was in Lilly's memory, but I had no idea how she was breath-

Suddenly I was awake, and I really was in the water. It was pitch black, and the water was icy cold. I involuntarily gasped, and inhaled a mouthful of water. A strong arm appeared around my waist, and I was lifted into the air, and I grabbed onto a piece of our ruined boat. "W-what was that?" I asked, breathlessly, coughing on water as I did.

It was Natsu behind me, and he ensured I had a good grip on the board before he backed up. "I don't know." He said, and dove under again. A brilliant light lit up the water beneath me, and when I looked, I saw several shadowy figures all circling Natsu. One of them was very large. I was afraid, for a moment, and then I realized it was just the others. A few were already up. Gray had made a raft out of ice, and he and Sherry and managed to collect most of our gear. Juvia and Jura were also on the raft. Lucy was nowhere in sight, and neither was Happy. Lyon was somewhere underwater too, I thought. I decided to use my limited water ability to the best I could, and filled the area 30 feet around me with bubbles, which would push heavier objects towards the surface. Maki must have been below the surface as well, because she rose to the top shortly after I made the bubbles. I was straining though, because it was difficult to tell what was human and what was rock or fish; also because water wasn't my specialty. But nonetheless, I still managed to pull all of them to surface, Natsu with his arms firmly around Happy's middle. Happy looked pretty miserable, which was understandable. After all, cats didn't like water. We all then maneuvered our way to Gray's ice raft, and while it was no warmer than the water, it was something to sit on. I didn't account for water temperature on this voyage, and I was hoping that Natsu would be able to warm up the water around us a bit as we swam. I was sure I was a mess, but I moved my hair out of the way as best I could and said "Well. That was fun."

"What the hell was that?" Gray shouted, and looked angrily at the water. I think he was only partly angry, because I could sense the fear in him.

"I'm not sure. Did anyone see what it was?" I asked.

Jura looked down at the water's dark surface, disturbed still from our recent misadventure. "I saw a dark shape. I thought it was a fish, but not I'm not sure. It was very large. It could have been a beast who made the caves its home, and we have made it angry by entering its territory." We were all quiet, and I remembered the very large shape I had seen circling Natsu earlier. I shuddered, both from the cold and from unease.

I sighed. "I was afraid that there would be monsters of some kind. This isn't a place people come around often. Not to mention, there are a lot of places to hide around here. That's another reason I asked people to come along who could fight. Jura, Gray, Natsu, Lyon. I think you three will be the most effective, assuming Natsu can make fire underwater well enough?" I asked, turning to him.

He nodded. "I shouldn't have a problem."

"Good, ok. We should get going. That water is very cold though. Natsu, I hate to ask so much from you, but I wouldn't if I knew you couldn't handle it." I said, still looking at him. "Is there any way to warm up the water around us as we move through the tunnels? Otherwise we'll freeze."

He nodded again. "You can count on me!"

I nodded too, and turned back to the others, and with nods from them, we all jumped back into the freezing, pitch black water. Juvia made helmets for us out of air bubbles, and while I maintained them, she began moving the water out of the tunnels, and Jura set up weight-bearing pillars, and moved the stones in the tunnel to create a passage. It was amazing. The age old stones covered in algae and slime groaned as they were lifted from where they'd sat for hundreds of years; water roared around us and the entire tunnel changed and was molded like clay before us. It moved like mechanical gears, rotating and shifting and moving in sync and out of sync, like a giant puzzle. I watched in wonder as the others began to move towards the entrance.

Lyon and Gray were both watching very carefully, to see if anything moved. Natsu was providing heat and light, while Maki had her hands out, feeling for any trace of wood in the stone. We began to move into the tunnel, as it was shaped around us, and Juvia made the water rush out. The rushing water also prevented anything from swimming up behind us. Suddenly Maki stopped. "I can sense different kinds of wood. Oak, birch, some cedar. Very small signatures, though. The water has eaten away at the wood, and left almost none."

I sighed, and nodded. "That's to be expected. What we're looking for is oak, probably a rather large… uh… signature, I guess. It's supposed to be a boat, what she's in." I replied, and looked around, still fascinated by the rotating tunnel.

Maki closed her eyes, and wiggled her bottom jaw around, thinking and searching. "I do sense oak, but it's a long way away." She said, looking at me for confirmation.

"That sounds right. Follow that one. Does it feel like something big?"

"Could be. It's kind of difficult to tell, though, given the location." She swam in the direction she indicated, and we followed, with the tunnel moving and shaping around us. Juvia had finished moving the water from the tunnel behind us, and from a good distance in front of us, too. We had come to a blockage that was very well stuck in, and while it was annoying, I had high hopes. "In my dream, Acnologia was pounding on the ground above trying to make the tunnels cave in. With how smashed together these rocks are, it looks like a large amount of downward force was applied, and making these rocks very hard to move." I said, and because Juvia had cleared the water from this tunnel and was holding it back at the entrance, we were free to move around the tunnel as we wanted, with Natsu being our little lantern and space heater.

"I agree." Jura said, "Not to mention, unstable. I need to be very careful during this part or this area could collapse and become even harder to navigate." I nodded, and had everyone move out of the way. We were very deep underground at this point, and we certainly didn't need the whole place to suddenly come crashing down.

Suddenly, the floor fell out from underneath us. I screamed, and I hear the others do the same. I landed on rock about 10 feet down (which hurt like hell) and looked around. Natsu's fire had gone out, so it was now pitch black. "Hello?" I called. "Everyone ok?"

I got assorted yeah and yes's, but I heard from everyone at some point, so I counted us lucky. "Natsu! Give us some light!" I yelled into the darkness.

The room light up slowly. It was a large cavern, filled with paintings of an age past. Stalactites clung to the ceiling, and stalagmites reached for them. A small amount of water was on the bottom of the cave, coming in from a small hole in the wall, right by the floor. It smelled like ocean water. And there… was a boat in the middle of the water. A wooden boat, of light wood. In it lay a girl. It was her.


	11. Rose Water 11: In Love She Wakes

**Chapter 11**

Hey guys, sorry this took so long! Been really busy. To make up for it, this one will be extra long! Btw, I know you may be wondering. Maki is the girl in Fairy Tail who uses wood magic. I don't think that's her real name, but for the life of me, I can't remember what her real name is, so since we've made it this far with her being 'Maki' that's how she'll stay, lol.

I stood in shock. Had we really found her? Just like that? Had it really been that easy? "Guys…" I whispered. "We found her." She was perfect, like she'd fallen asleep only yesterday.

Natsu's head snapped up, and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Woah. We really did it." He walked over to the small pond, where the boat was, and went to go into the water, but stopped short. "The water is really deep. I can't even see the bottom!"

This room was huge, but that was a problem; the room was big and the structure was unstable. A room this size would make the caves even more unstable, since there was no support for the tunnels above. We would have to be quiet, so as to avoid an avalanche situation.

I ran over and looked down, shushing Natsu. Sure enough, the water was very dark, and very deep. Guess I misjudged the size of the puddle. Normally, I wouldn't have cared. But remembering that dark shape we had seen outside, I wasn't so sure of this very deep, very dark water. Anything could be in it, hiding under the waves, and she was too far to reach by hand. I wasn't sure what to do at this point, so I stopped to think about it. An idea popped into my head, but it was extremely dangerous. "Gray." I said, calling him over.

"Yeah?" He joined Natsu and me at the water's edge. "Woah, deep water."

"Exactly. Is there any way you can make a bridge of ice? Just to the boat?"

He sighed. "Yes, but it will be tough. The water is salt, and while that normally wouldn't be a problem, maintaining a bridge over waves will not be easy. A big enough wave will break the bridge and send whoever is on it into the water." He said, and studied the dark water. "Not to mention, if that thing from earlier is down there, then we're in double trouble. It could decide it doesn't like us messing with the boat and break the bridge itself."

The ice bridge was going to be tricky: it needed to be thin enough that we could see underneath us, and thick enough to hold our weight. Thin enough so that the sound of our footsteps would be muffled by the water, and not echo down the chasm to the waiting beasts below, should there be any. It also had to be thick enough to maintain stability should the waves hit it, because they certainly would. Not to mention, the tide lines were above our heads, and since this part of the room had a much lower ceiling than the rest of the room, I knew we would have to be quick. I had no idea how thick to make the ice, and would leave it up to Gray.

"I know. That's why I wanted it to be only one person who goes all the way over, and someone who waits in the middle of the bridge to provide assistance if necessary." I responded, and Natsu looked over at me, no doubt hoping that he would be the one the go over all the way.

"Ok, I can do that. But I'll need to stay over here to try to maintain the bridge. If we make the ice too thick, the sound will echo through the water beneath us, so I will have to make it pretty thin." He said, and then whispered "Ice Make: Bridge!"

"Juvia will try to help make the waves smaller." Juvia added.

Just like I thought, it was a very thin layer of ice. Through it, we could see the water below, and keep watch over the depths, should we need to run. The water was way too salty in here, and the waves made the ice slippery and susceptible to cracking.

Natsu immediately started to cross, but I grabbed his arm. "Walk very carefully. The ice isn't thick, and you especially might make it crack."

"Why me especially?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"Because it's ice. You are being our light by making fire."

"Oh yeah." He said, and smiled bashfully. "Forgot."

He started to walk in front of me, holding the fire in his hands high, and keeping it away from the fragile ice. I walked right behind him, placing each foot carefully. I stopped about half way, and said to Natsu: "I'm not sure how we're supposed to wake her, so for now, just bring the boat back to shore." He nodded, and continued on. Reaching the boat, he reached his hand out (the one not holding a ball of fire, thankfully) and gently grabbed the edge of the boat and began pulling it towards the shore.

A large crack behind me made me jump. A wave had hit the ice bridge in just the right spot, causing it to fracture. I looked up at Gray, who was trying to fix it. "Hold on guys." He said, and he made another layer of ice sliver out over the bridge and cover the crack. It was by no means a permanent fix, and we needed to move. I began to walk very carefully over to the shore, keeping an eye on Natsu behind me. He was ok; he wasn't having any problems so far with the boat. Slowly, we made our way back across. Walking across the bridge now gave me a better idea of about how long the bridge was; I was about 20 feet from the shore. Natsu was a little further behind me, at about 30 feet. I started walking faster, knowing the bridge couldn't handle the both of us in one spot, and I sure as hell had no intention of falling into that water. Not only could we not see how deep it was or the creatures lurking beneath, but if there was rocks just below the surface, out if reach of the light, we wouldn't know.

A groan from under the bridge made everyone's heads jerk up suddenly. I looked back at Natsu, who was just staring at me. _Light._ I mouthed at him, and pointed at the water. He nodded, and I held my breath as he lowered his hand to the water. The water was so dark though that I could barely see, despite the light Natsu was making. Sure enough, something dark slithered out of sight as soon as the light hit it, sending chills down my spine. It was huge, whatever it was. I immediately started waving my hand at Natsu, begging him to hurry. We both began to walk faster, and the bridge cracked under the pressure. I did something crazy and took a running jump, leaping to relative safety on the shore. The bridge splintered where I had jumped, sending shards into the air. Natsu made a split second decision and jumped into the boat as the ice bridge magnificently exploded into a million razer-edged pieces. He had been close enough to the shore that Juvia made a rope of water, which Natsu held onto, and pulled him to shore. We all heaved the boat out of the water an on to the stone shore, breathing a sigh of relief. We had her, and we were safe, for the moment.

Natsu sighed and sat down on the cold stone. "Well, that was fun."

I laughed breathlessly, more relieved than amused. "Now we have to figure out how to wake her up. I remember that the legends all said the same thing, more or less. In the original legend, it was written: ' _In love so she slept, in love so she weeps, in love so she wake.'_ I don't know what it means, but it must be important for them to write it."

Juvia looked over at Gray sneakily. "In love?" Then her eyes got as big as saucers. "LOVE RIVAL?!"

I couldn't help laughing. "I don't think that's what it means, Juvia." On a more serious note, I turned back to the others and asked "Any ideas?"

No one seemed to know, but Jura offered: "Maybe it has something to do with how she was sealed away. Put into this sleep. It said she was sealed away 'in love', which could mean several things. Either she was thinking of a specific someone that she loved when she was sealed away, and we would need that person to wake her up (which would be impossible). It could also be that she was sealed away with her protection in mind, and only someone with the same goal will be capable of waking her up."

"That's a good thought." I said, tapping my chin. It was indeed. But who among us would be most likely to wake her up? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Natsu studying her sleeping face. Maybe it was him. He had been the one who had pushed for this the whole time. As I watched, he moved his hand towards her face, but he seemed to be almost dazed, and his hand seemed to move on its own. Gently, he lay his hand against her cheek, and used his thumb to move a stray lock of hair away from her face. I was fascinated, and slightly jealous, to see how someone as reckless, powerful, and dangerous could be so gentle and have such a kind expression on his face. In fact, I almost felt like I was intruding on a private moment between lovers- her eyes opened.

She was awake, staring at Natsu as though seeing the sun. It was Natsu. He had woken her up, simply by touching her face. That was all it had taken, just a gentle stroke of his hand… and then I remembered. _In love so she wake._ He had caressed her face, and I remembered thinking I was 'intruding on a private moment between lovers'. When she spoke, she had a beautiful voice, but I had no idea what she was saying. It seemed that I had been the only one to see Natsu's little exchange with her, so I was the only one who knew why he was staring back at her flabbergasted, and with a blush to his cheeks. He didn't seem to know what he had done, but he was pleased anyway.

Everyone turned to look at her, but it was Lucy who said "What did she say?"

"Not a clue." I said. "Though I suppose it's to be expected. She's from a tribe that lived here some 300 years ago. It doesn't surprise me that she doesn't speak the same language we do." I grumbled. "I should've thought to ask Levy to come along. Perhaps she could've translated the language for us." I said.

Natsu saw how she seemed to be trying to sit up, and so gently helped her into a sitting position. It occurred to me that after 300 years, she would have next to no muscle mass, and we would probably have to carry her out of here. Natsu seemed at a complete loss as to how to communicate with her, and I felt his pain. I so badly wanted to talk to her myself, but nothing I would say would mean anything to her, and the same for us.

Off to the other side of the cave, opposite to the water, there was a loud crash, reminding us that we were in a ticking time bomb cavern. "We need to go." Lucy said, and she began heading towards the cave in where we had fallen in. Jura went with her, and I assumed he went to make some sort of path up to the higher levels. Maki went with him to see if she could lend a hand. Everyone else made their way over to the cave in, but I stayed with Natsu and Lilly. I motioned to her that we were going out, and she should come with us. She seemed to understand, nodding, and tried to stand up with no success. I looked at Natsu, who picked her up and carried her in his arms, still maintaining a fire in one hand. I knew he couldn't have her cling to his back, because she didn't have enough muscle to hold on. And like that, we made our way back up through the rocks into a higher tunnel. We were still nowhere near the surface when a thought occurred to me. "Hey guys. That dark shape we keep seeing in the water… do you think it'll be back outside again? When we get out there with her?" I asked.

Lucy looked back at me in the dim light. She was helping lead the way out while I stayed with Natsu in case he needed a hand with Lilly. She didn't seem to mind the fire; she looked like she was enjoying the heat. Lucy said "I'm not sure, but I had the same idea. It's like this thing has been following us the time we were in here. I don't like it."

I nodded. The same idea had crossed my mind. I didn't doubt for a moment that that beast knew its way around, and it would probably have known where we were going, and had sat out of reach of the light, watching us. The thought of it made my skin crawl. Juvia was having a harder time pushing back the water now, having already used a good amount of magic getting us down here, keeping the waves low, and pulling the boat over to the shore. Now the tide was coming in, and the water wanted to go down, down on top of us. We had to get out quickly, because I knew Juvia couldn't handle the weight of so much water fighting her for very long. Just then there was a small noise from Lilly, and with a wave of her hand, all the water around us rushed out of the caves. Or so I thought. But all along the way back up, there was a thick wall of water around each of the supports Jura had made, and a few others as well. Support columns. I was shocked- she knew what she was doing. I wondered how, but it wasn't like I could ask.

Sunlight flooded through the tunnels, and Lilly quickly shielded her eyes. She hadn't seen the sun in 300 years, no wonder she thought it was bright. When we finally reached the entrance, we were standing on a ledge at the cave entrance when a huge explosion came from behind us, I turned around just in time to be hit in the face with dust and debris. Natsu had started to shout something, but it was lost in the noise. When no unknown lurking monster sprang out, I assumed the caves must have finally caved in.

"The caves…" Lucy said, sounding a little sad.

I understood her sentiment. Firstly, if we had taken any longer, we may not be alive anymore. Secondly, no one would be going into those caves anymore. "I know. Is everyone alright?" I asked. Natsu and I were the ones most covered with dust a few shallow cuts from flying sharp rocks. The others had a cut here or there, and some dust, but not nearly as much. Lilly had some dust on top of her, but not a single cut. Natsu seemed to have shielded her from the blast. I bet he had heard the cave in inside the cave a split second before we did, and had shielded her from the flying rocks. Again, I felt this odd sense of jealousy. Shaking off my weird mood, I looked around. I remembered that the boat Maki had made for us all that time ago had been dashed to bits by the beast under the water. The water was much, much higher now, and the waters choppy. The sun was beginning to rise, and the weak light barely lit up the waters around us, just enough to see a pair of reflective eyes, each as big as my torso, watching us from the sea. Rather than be afraid however, Lilly smiled and waved at the eyes. To my surprise, the beast burst from the water. It was a dragon. Huge, with scales that shimmered like light in the water. It was beautiful. It looked at us all in turn, lingering on Natsu and Lilly. She extended her arms to the dragon, who slowly lowered its massive snout to her, and closed its eyes. She hugged it, and when she did, she whispered something only Natsu could hear, him being the closest. Then the dragon disappeared, shimmering out of sight. We all stood there, awestruck, as she slowly pulled her arms back, and the rising sun caught the tear that shone on her cheek. None of us knew what to say or do after that, so we didn't move or speak for some time. Only Natsu moved, and it was to wipe away the tears on Lilly's face. The sun rose higher, and Maki made another boat for us. We all climbed in, Natsu still holding Lilly, and studying her face like she was this strange mythical creature. It was oddly intimate, and I once again felt a surge of jealousy, stronger this time.

It took us a long time to get back to town, probably because we were all tired from being up all night and using magic, not to mention we were all still thinking about that dragon, no doubt. As soon as we got off the boat, I turned around to help Natsu off. As soon as he got off, Lilly tapped him gently on the chest, getting his attention. Then when he looked at her, she motioned for him to come closer. He did, no doubt suspecting that he meant to whisper something to him. What she did instead was pull his head down to hers and she kissed him.


	12. Rose Water 12: Doubts

**Chapter 12**

I wasn't the only one staring in disbelief. In fact, almost everyone in our group was looking on in shock. Only Juvia wasn't looking, which was a bit amusing, given that she seemed to be more inclined to notice these kinds of things than others. It wasn't a short kiss, either. No peck on the lips, or friendly cheek kiss. It was lips on lips, passionate, and it was intimate. So much so, I felt like I was once again intruding on a private moment. Others seemed to think the same thing, and turned away. I felt icky inside, and I didn't want to watch anymore. I began to walk back to the motel where we'd stayed before, tears burning in my eyes.

Lucy was the first to notice my absence, running after me a few seconds later. She didn't say anything as we made our way to the hotel. I wasn't sure if it was better or worse that neither of us said anything. But at the same time, I didn't mind the silence.

That night, I couldn't sleep. Lucy and Juvia were in the room with me, but I barely even noticed them. I was starting to regret ever having taken up this request. We had lucked out with this room, though, because it had a balcony overlooking the sea. I made my way out to the balcony now, and stared at the water, shining in the moonlight. It did nothing to quench this cold, empty feeling in me. I was still angry, and sad, and full of too many dark, roiling emotions. _Perhaps a swim would do me well_ , I thought to myself.

After changing into my bathing suit, I made my way downstairs to the lobby, and ducked past the woman working the desk. I don't think she saw me, and I wasn't in the mood to answers idiotic questions. She was bust with someone else anyway, so I counted myself lucky.

I ran through the sand to the waters, cooler now than they'd been today. My breath was a cloud as I ran, and I realized just how cold the water would be. I didn't care, though, and made my way into the frothing surf. Boy, it was COLD. But it was nice. It was a shock, and I needed it. I continued to go deeper, quickly losing feeling in my legs. I didn't care. I couldn't even cast an illusion spell on myself to make me think the water was warm, but I already knew it was an illusion. What would the point be? I had a small grasp of water magic though, and that certainly helped. I could feel myself melting into the water around me, and it no longer felt cold. I wondered idly what it would feel like to just continue to let myself become part of the water, until I was all water and no longer me. I gave up that thought quickly though. Whether or not I wanted to, this had been my quest, and I would see it through.

By the time I was up to my neck in the water, my legs had completely turned to water and that was okay. I let myself become part of the water. I had learned water magic for the express purpose of learning how to do this. To lose myself for a little while and be something else. Fish swam around and through me, with each tail flick throwing moonbeams into the water around me. A cuttlefish circled my left ankle, and an eel investigated my arm.

I lost track of time, and eventually decided that I should head back. As soon as my head began to materialize, I was nearly forced apart again. I then saw Lucy above me, and she appeared to be upset. Odd. Did something happen? I didn't know. I was so relaxed now, and felt like I was a jellyfish. An unfortunate side effect of being water too long, I guessed, was that it was harder to go back to being solid. I finally completely materialized, and let Lucy pull me from the water. "Oh Elia!" She cried. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? We were looking for you everywhere!"

Now I was confused. It had been so late, that I had been sure that Lucy and Juvia had been asleep. To my surprise though, it seemed like most of the group was somewhere in sight, scanning the water and surrounding area. They noticed Lucy loudly talking, and all came over, seeming to be relieved to see me.

I stood up, feeling self-conscious in my bathing suit. "What's wrong? I just went for a swim. I thought you were all asleep."

Someone draped a towel over my shoulders. Lyon. "We're sorry. Lucy told us that she couldn't find you, and was worried something may have happened to you."

"Then I'm sorry to have worried you. I meant no harm. Just couldn't sleep, so I felt like going for a swim." I said. After a few more reassurances, we went back to the hotel. Everyone went to their own rooms, and then it was just Lucy and me. Juvia had been searching in a different area with Gray.

"Elia…" Lucy began. "I saw your face today. Are you okay?"

No way was I going to start crying in the hallway. I just barely shook my head. "No, but I'll survive. It's not like…" I gulped.

"I know." She said with a sigh. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, and she seemed to be upset, too. It began to dawn on me: Lucy liked Natsu too. She had been affected by it too, and she hadn't just joined me because she wanted my company. She hadn't wanted to watch, either. Yet she hadn't thrown a fit like I did, running off on my own and making everyone worry. Instead of sulking, she had been happy for him.

"So." I said. "Why did she do it, anyway?"

She smiled a bit at that. "Funny story. She didn't actually do it because she had feelings for him. Turns out it was an old spell she knew. She said she learned it from the village shaman."

"The shaman? What magic did he use? Wait. You said she told you? How?" I asked, my love troubles momentarily forgotten.

"The spell she cast. I don't remember what it was called. Basically she was able to use it to learn our language in seconds. Much easier than taking years to be moderately good at it." Lucy said, and we angled away from our room.

I looked around, and then I guessed we were probably heading over to the room where she was staying. Sure enough, we ended up outside room 777, which I thought was slightly amusing, but dismissed it. Lucy knocked, and a call from within bade us entry. Inside, I saw Gray, Natsu, and Lilly. So much for my swim.

"Eli!" Natsu said, jumping up. "I heard Lucy found you! Where'd you go?" He asked. He didn't seem upset that I'd been missing or anything. Mostly just curious. That hurt.

"Just went for a swim." I said, not bothering to correct him on my name. No one seemed to be the wiser, but Lilly looked at me funny. Maybe she knew, but I wasn't sure how she would.

"Hello." Lilly said, and her voice had a strange but alluring accent. I immediately disliked it.

"Hi." I said, and tried desperately not to show how much I didn't want to be there.

"Has Lucy filled you in?" She asked.

"Yup." I said.

A few moments of awkward silence passed in the room before she spoke again. "The spell I used was water magic. Weird, right? But water magic is so much more versatile than other magic. It can be used in pretty much any single you want to. I used a spell called 'Memoriam Locata', which, in simple terms, is just me getting information from someone's memory. I used his memory of language to learn yours." She said. As much as I didn't want to be there, I was fascinated. "Of course, it can be used for harm as well. It can inflict damage on precious memories, turning them dark, destroying them, etc. It can also make you relive your worst memories." She glanced at the floor. "There are a variety of ways to perform this spell. The most effective and least intrusive is kissing. It gets the spell inside. Otherwise an injury will be required to-" I yawned, and Lilly suddenly stopped talking. "I'm sorry." She said. "It's late and you're tired. I'll let you go."

She turned around and looked out the window. I took it as a sign. I left the room, not feeling any better than before. Actually, I felt worse. I was starting to not like this girl, and I was seriously starting to regret this quest.


	13. Rose Water 13: Dark Magic

**Chapter 13**

I once believed that fate had a funny way of making everything work out just right. I didn't believe it anymore.

The next day, we booked a carriage and began our journey back. It was actually a rather joyful carriage ride, for everyone except me. The others were talking and laughing and enjoying themselves. Natsu was lying on the floor, completely green. My spell must have broken, but I was too petty and angry and jealous to recast it. I didn't know exactly what made it break, but it didn't make me feel any better than I already felt.

Suddenly, we hit a bump in the road, and the carriage went flying to the side. It rolled several times, and Juvia screamed. Something hit my head hard, and everything went dark. When I resurfaced, the carriage was sideways, and the driver was being held in a chokehold by a man wearing all black. My head hurt, and I couldn't see right. My eyes were spinning, and I had to think really hard about something in order for it to take form in my head. I told myself to take stock of the situation. We were about 50 miles south of the nearest town. The horses were lying motionless on the road, and several of us were on the road as well, though it didn't appear any of us were dead. Injured, yes, but alive. I tried to crawl out of the carriage, only to realize that my leg was stuck under something. The damaged carriage was crunched like it had been hit… that's when it dawned on me. Someone purposely attacked us.

The man wearing black put a knife to the driver's throat. "Hey! Everyone look at me!" I turned my head as far as I could to look at him, but could still only see about half of him. Natsu and Lucy were the first ones I saw, and they both seemed relatively ok. They both stood about 10 feet away from the man, not moving.

The man began speaking again. "Good, good, good. Now that I have your attention, I have a very important matter to discuss with you. The girl. Give her to me, and I spare this man's life."

Still dazed, I had no clue who he was talking about or who he was pointing at, since it was out of my range of vision. But the way Natsu's eyes suddenly lit as though they were made from hellfire, I could only guess who it was. But what did this guy want with Lilly?

"You will never touch her." Natsu growled, and his voice was so menacing and dark that a shiver ran up my spine. He was kind of an idiot sometimes, which made me forget just how powerful he really was. I had no doubt he probably could have beaten me that time we fought, if he weren't holding back so much. I knew he had been holding back, whether because I was a girl or because we were in the same guild or whatever it may have been. Either way, I knew he could do some serious damage. I'd seen it for myself.

The man in black laughed, seemingly oblivious as to how deadly serious the situation was. "I'm not afraid of you, boy. Besides, I'm the one with a hostage." The man pushed the knife harder against the driver's throat, causing a small stream of blood to flow down his neck, into his shirt. The driver tensed his jaw and swallowed, but gave no other indication of his fear. He was brave, I'd give him that.

Jura and the Lamia Scale crew began to approach from the left, and I heard footsteps behind me. Juvia's voice was very quiet, but I heard her whispering something behind me, and then two strong arms appeared on either side of me. Gray, I assumed. Gray's voice came from behind me. "Are you stuck?"

I nodded, and said "Yes, but I'm not sure where. I can't really feel anything…" I stopped, thinking about what I just said. I couldn't feel anything below my waist. That wasn't really a good sign.

Gray climbed over the twisted carriage remains in front of me, digging through the pieces of wood and fabric from the seats. While he did, I turned my attention back to the man in black. I weighed the risks of using illusion magic against him. There was always the chance he'd figure out my plan, or see through it, and that would make things monumentally worse. There was also the chance that I could improve the situation. I looked back at Gray, who glanced up at me, then at the man. He nodded very subtlety, and I realized he must have known what my magic was all along. I bit my lip, and decided to try it. There was a spell I didn't use very often, but the situation seemed perfect for its use. It involved me using my illusion magic and creating his worst nightmare. I wouldn't know what it was unless he said something, but it was one of the most powerful spells I had. I focused, taking a deep breath, and whispered "Illu Nomara."

For several moments, it was completely silent, and I wondered if it had even worked. I watched the man's face as I held the spell, willing it into being. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened in a silent scream. He dropped the knife, and fell to his knees, eyes completely white, bewitched by my spell. I was panting with the effort, but I didn't care. It felt good to hold onto the spell. He had hurt us. He needed to hurt as well. I barely noticed Lucy grabbing the driver and pulling him to safety, or Natsu running up to the man in black and shaking him, asking what was wrong. I barely noticed when Gray pulled me from the carriage, and my legs wouldn't respond, or when Lucy ran up to me, telling me to release the spell. I couldn't; didn't they know he had to pay? Suddenly, everything went dark again. I couldn't see, and so the spell dropped. I was exhausted, and fell face first down into the dirt, taking large gulps of dusty air into my lungs, and coughing it back up.

Lilly's voice rang out above me. "Move him out of sight! Tie him up and search him. Lucy, can you tend to the driver? Juvia, help Lucy. Gray, help Natsu with the man. Lamia Scale team, can you see if you can anything about the horses? They were alive last I checked. Maki, anyway you can make anew carriage?" I was too exhausted now to do anything but lie there as someone covered my eyes and held me down to the ground. "What the hell were you thinking?" Lilly asked me. I knew she was talking to me from the direction of her voice. "That was some seriously dark magic. Illusion, yes? I always hated that kind of magic. So easy to go back and forth between light and dark. So many dark spells that are seriously messed up."

The hands were removed from my eyes, and while my head was no longer being held to the ground, I couldn't pick it up. Lilly gasped. "You're covered in blood." She said, in a strained voice. "I'm going to clean you up a bit, okay?"

I simply nodded, tears streaming from my eyes. I had known it was a dark magic spell, but I thought I could handle it. I lay still as cool water washed over my body gently, cleaning the scrapes and cuts I had on me. The water also somehow seemed to pull the blood from the clothes, which was nice. Couldn't do anything about the rips, though.

Lilly was silent, and then said "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had feelings for him. I wouldn't have done it that way if I had known." I just nodded. She continued. "Your injuries are more severe than I thought at first. Can you move your toes?" I tried, but for some reason, it felt like I couldn't find the right muscles, like trying to wiggle my ears. It was a weird feeling, and one I wasn't too fond of. "No? That's what I was afraid of. Okay, this is going to hurt, but try to stay still, ok? Your spinal cord has been injured, and I need to try to heal it. Don't move, ok?" She said, and I nodded meekly.

A red hot pain shot through my spine, and I gasped, my breath getting caught in my throat. Stars danced before my eyes, and I didn't realize I was screaming until Natsu ran over full speed, a worried look on his face. When he saw the situation, he said something to Lilly, but I didn't hear it. Instead, he held my arms down, and someone held down my feet. My face was in the dirt, but I didn't even feel it.

After an eternity, the pain stopped, and I passed out.


	14. Rose Water 14: Lilly Takes Control

**Chapter 14**

-Lilly-

The day had started normal enough. Normal enough by the last week's standards. I had gotten into a carriage and was riding somewhere with the people who had woken me up. Some I liked more than others. The one named Lyon gave me a headache. But that was alright. He seemed to be that way with most people. Juvia was ceaselessly amusing, always assuming someone was going to take Gray from her. I occasionally threw a flirtatious glance his way just to see her expression. Lucy was one of my favorites. A bit preppy, perhaps, but that wasn't a bad thing. I saw why she was referred to as the princess quickly. When he had gotten into the carriage, a rather large (harmless) spider had crawled onto the seat, and she ran out screaming, tears in her eyes. I simply picked it up and put it on the ground outside. The boys were cracking up at that, but I hadn't seen the humor in it.

In the carriage, it was a bit cramped, but oddly, I didn't mind it. It was a fairly nice day out, for the season. It was warm, without being stifling, and a warm breeze blew the curtains around as we headed south. Must have been a southern wind. The humidity was nice, too; I always kept check on the humidity level. It let me know how much water was in the air, and therefore what spells I could use, and how powerful they'd be.

It wasn't long before our carriage was attacked, but instead of rolling with it, I was tossed from the carriage window, along with Natsu and Lucy. I landed on top of Natsu, and Lucy landed next to him, on top of my legs. The Lamia Scale three were tossed out a little farther away, and Maki was able to climb out after it stopped rolling. Gray pulled Juvia from the wreckage a few moments later, but we were still missing one. Elia was nowhere to be seen. She'd been in the back right corner, the spot that would have been hit hardest. I stood, and saw her top half sticking out of the carriage. I went to help when I felt arms around me. One held my mouth, one held my waist, one my arms, and the last my eyes. A male voice rasped into my ear, "No moving girlie, or the driver of this here smashed up carriage gets his throat cut."

I did as I was told, and held very still, when another male voice rang out, and said "Hey, everyone look at me!" _I can't._ I thought to myself. But I refused to be held against my will. I was tired of being useless, and having people do everything for me, doing whatever they wanted to me. So stealthily, I wrapped a long, thin stream of water around my attacker's throats, and tightened. They instantly released me, probably from shock. I used that as my chance to break free. I wrested myself from the arms around me, and turned to punch the first man behind me. He was ugly, so I didn't have any qualms about it. The second was prettier, but I punched him as well, and wrapped a hard water barrier around their mouths and bodies, restricting movement. I released the band of water around their throats, when Gray came up behind me and froze my water barrier, further strengthening it. "Come on." He said, pulling my arm. "We need to help the others."

"I know." I said. "You help Elia, I'll make sure Jura, Lyon and Sherry are ok." He nodded, and ran to Juvia, who was right behind Elia, but out of her sight. She asked him something, and he responded, then she ran over to me.

"Juvia will help you." She said, and we both headed over to the others. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy were keeping the man in black distracted. I noticed other men approaching behind him, at least a dozen, from over the hill. I hoped we wouldn't have a fight on our hands, but it was shaping up that way.

The man in black suddenly called out: "Good, good, good. Now that I have your attention, I have a very important matter to discuss with you. The girl. Give her to me, and I spare this man's life." I stopped dead in my tracks, and Juvia stopped almost at the same time. I looked over to see the man pointing at me. Seeing me not bound seemed to make him take stock of the situation. For the moment, he was by himself, while most of us were up and cognitive. While his friends were approaching fast, they'd never reach him in time if fighting broke out.

Natsu growled, and it didn't sound human. It was low and guttural, almost demonic. "You will never touch her." His eyes seemed to glow with otherworldly light, and fire burned in his palms. I could feel the heat from here, nearly twenty feet away. Lucy looked at him warily, but held her ground. "You'll have to go through us first!" She called.

I watched in shock as the man's eyes clouded over, and he dropped to his knees, mouth open as though in pain. Lucy and Natsu stared in shock, each taking a couple unconscious steps back. He began to claw at his face, leaving bloody tracks. I immediately forgot about the Lamia Scale trio, instead watching in horror as the man continued to rip off his own face. I needed to stop this. I sensed the magic behind me, a black cloud of hate darker than ink. Turning, I saw Elia, with her hand raised at the man, like she was trying to crush him from where she lay. A shiver of ice ran down my spine. I ran at her, and tackled her to the ground, covering her eyes and pinning her head to the ground. The magic faded, and the man fell forward into the grass beside the road. Natsu and Lucy ran over to him, and flipped him over. I could see from here, and it wasn't pretty.

I began to call out orders, the training I'd received from Father kicking in. Being the daughter of a Great War chief had its advantages.

Elia whimpered beneath me, so I looked at her. No trace of the dark magic remained, so I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked her over. She was covered in blood, and a pool was spreading around her. I had no doubt the black magic had made things worse, making her blood rush, and sending dark ethernano throughout her system. "What the hell were you thinking?" I growled. She didn't respond. "That was some seriously dark magic. Illusion, yes? I always hated that kind of magic. So easy to go back and forth between light and dark. So many dark spells that are seriously messed up." I removed my hands from her eyes, and proceeded to look closer at the wounds she had incurred. I noticed a large splinter in her back, which Gray was regarding, slightly green. He and Natsu had restrained the man, while Lucy and Juvia were trying to patch up the man in black. The others were approaching fast, but they weren't the least of my worries right now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had feelings for him. I wouldn't have done it that way if I had known." I said, as she stared in Natsu's direction. She didn't respond again, but instead her eyes were full of tears. A small nod let me know she heard me. "Your injuries are more severe than I thought at first. Can you move your toes? No? That's what I was afraid of. Okay, this is going to hurt, but try to stay still, ok? Your spinal cord has been injured, and I need to try to heal it. Don't move, ok?" I told her. I lifted the back of her shirt, and removed the splinter. Her breath hitched, and I knew what was coming next. "Gray, her legs." He nodded, and held them down. Her legs didn't move, but if I was successful, they would in a moment. She uttered a blood curdling scream, and Natsu rushed over. "Natsu! Hold her arms! I need her still!" I yelled over her screams.

"What are you doing?" He yelled back.

"Trying to fix her spinal cord. Hold her down!" He did, and I began to work. I was trained by my father to do various kinds of surgery, and by Aqurea, to use magic for healing. Combining both, I was able to patch up her spinal cord, healing the severed nerves. Then I got blood moving through again, and closed up the wound. It took only a few minutes, but she screamed the whole time. By the time I was finished closing the wound, she was silent, and when I looked over, her eyes were closed. She had passed out. I felt bad, but I didn't have painkillers. She would have to deal with it.

Gray sighed, looking rather like his name, and released her legs, taking a few steps back. Juvia went over to him, and in what looked like a rare moment of weakness, he leaned his head against her chest, and she gently stroked his hair, and made shushing noises. She was blushing as red as a cherry, but nonetheless looked pleased. Natsu sat back, flexing his arms. He'd had to strain to keep her pinned down, and a thin sheen of sweat sparkled on his arms. I couldn't help admiring the way it looked. He brushed his hair back, and I watched in fascination, then looked away, berating myself. I can't do this. I was engaged once, and that had been real. I still loved him. I was absolutely NOT allowed to develop feelings for this boy. And yet, there was something about him that felt timeless, almost like he was both younger and older than me. Which made no sense, but that seemed to be ok in this crowd. So I too, sat back, and looked over at the oncoming men. There were a lot more now. Several dozen. With so many injured among us, I wasn't sure how we were going to be able to deal with this.

Natsu then noticed the oncoming horde and said a word typically not said in polite conversation.

I nodded, and said "I see them too. There looked to only be about a dozen before. Now it looks like we have a whole dark guild on its way."

Looking around, I saw that Maki had indeed been able to make a carriage, but our horses were not getting back up. It hurt my heart to see the gentle creatures killed so casually, but unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do for them. The Lamia Scale trio had various wounds: Lyon looked to have a broken arm, Sherry had a pretty severe head wound, and Jura, while up and walking around, was grimacing in pain. Maki was covered in cuts and puncture wounds, though didn't appear to have broken any bones. Juvia seemed to be the least harmed of all of us, with no visible cuts, though her hair was a mess. Gray was losing blood at an alarming rate, so I ran over to him and did my best to patch up his wounds. Sure enough, he had a deep gash in his right thigh, which was bleeding profusely. I stitched it up, and Juvia promised to keep watch over him. Her expression was one of extreme worry and compassion, one of the deepest of loves. I knew he'd be in good hands. Natsu had assorted cuts, and Lucy had a few as well, and one over her eye that bleeding quite a bit. I patched her up as the first of the dark guild reached the road. Natsu stood, facing the oncoming enemy.

I was struck dumb. He stood, hair blowing in the wind, standing in front of Lucy and me, the sun in front of him, so I only saw his profile. Even though the sun illuminated his hair with a rosy glow, he suddenly looked so much like Luke, my love, that a tear slipped out and fell to the ground before I could catch it. I stood unconsciously, and moved next to him. It was like standing next to Luke again, facing the battlefield. We looked at each other, and an unspoken message passed between us. _I got your back._ He smiled, and we both charged towards the dark guild.


	15. Rose Water 15: Heat

**Chapter 15**

-Lilly-

They came upon us faster than I thought, but I was ready. Natsu leaped into the air, charging straight into the middle. "Lucy! Protect the others!" She nodded, and pulled out her whip and keys, summoning Taurus.

I charged in after Natsu, lading punches. I used my magic and isolated Natsu's magic, making it so I wouldn't affect him. I turned and spun while making dragons in the air, and sharks that swam through the earth. Water swirled around me, making a protective barrier, and using the water to toss me into the air. I may have been showing off a little, but it had been so long since I could use magic like this, that I didn't care. I made spinning circular blades of water form an inch from my palms, deflecting physical attacks and cutting spells. Whips of water slashed through the air above my head, grabbing enemies at the edges of the fray, nearing our wounded, and tossing them back into the fight. I saw Natsu off to the side, watching me fight, gaping unabashedly. The others from his group were doing the same. Watching me.

The dark guild members were slowly starting to back away now, even though it was only me. But I couldn't let them leave; I needed to know how they had known where to find us. Lucy had been saying before that this had been Elia's quest, and that it had been a Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale venture to come rescue me. And while I knew that my legend wasn't uncommon to hear about, it also wasn't the most common. So how did the dark guild know?

I was getting tired of fighting them, so I did a spell that my mother taught me- it didn't really have a name, but it was effective. It was basically 12 whips that shot out from my bed, hitting everything around me so hard that it knocked people down and cut trees in half. It was selective, cutting down inanimate objects and merely knocking over animate. I used it, taking out all the guild members while it splashed harmlessly against Natsu's side. I used a water bind spell to tie up the dark guild members and hold them in place for questioning.

I ran a hand through my hair to fix it, although I knew it probably wouldn't help too much. Looking around, it seemed like I had gotten them all, and no one was moving. Our group was looking worse for wear, but no one was dead, so there was that.

Natsu came up next to me, nodding approvingly at the captured guild members. "You're good." Then he turned to me. "When we get back to Fairy Tail, fight me!" I wasn't sure what to make of that, so I looked back at the others of our group. Lucy had an expression like she knew he would say that. She also looked like she didn't expect anything else.

So I looked back at him, and shrugged. "If that's what you want, I'll indulge you." He grinned. "Now to business." I continued. Then I looked at the guild members. I gave them a scary expression, and picked out one at random. "You. Yes, you. Ugly one." He glared at me. "How did you know about this expedition?" Expedition sounded better than quest. Quest just sounded dumb.

"Not tellin' you." He grumbled. I pulled the water ropes tighter. He grunted. "Still not telling." I barely smiled, growing increasingly frustrated. I made a small wire of water that I positioned over his eye, and made it spin around, like a drill. He gulped, and I moved it so close he kept blinking from the droplets of water shooting off. "Ok, ok." He said, and his voice wavered. He never took his eyes off the water wire. "Our master told us. Said he intercepted a letter to Lamia Scale from Fairy Tail detailing a quest –expedition, whatever- and that the person they were going to find was worth more than the king's crown. More than all the wealth in the kingdom. But we didn't believe it, so we followed behind them-you. When they got in the boat, we stayed in the town and waited. They came back with a girl-you- and we assumed Master was right… so we tried to kidnap you…" He said. "We were going to try to bargain with the kingdom for your release…" I moved the water wire away and walked back to the carriage, a lot on my mind.

Was I really worth that much to these people? Why? Darker thoughts crossed my mind too: Were the people I was with the same way? Did they too intend to sell me off to the highest bidder? I took a shaky breath, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be that way. Not with Lucy. Not with silly, paranoid Juvia. There's also…

Natsu wouldn't do that. He… he couldn't…right? Suddenly, he was next to me. The breeze that blew past me smelled like him, and it was intoxicating. A mix of sweat, wood smoke, cologne, and something else that sent my stomach into a whirl. "Lilly." He said. "You okay?" I barely nodded. "You know we wouldn't do that, right?"

I sighed. "I know. You… you wouldn't. I trust you." I responded, and I realized I'd known it all along. What had I been worried about? I wasn't sure. But then again, why did I trust this boy so much already? Glancing at him, seeing the way he looked at me, the way his eyes glowed from behind with dragon fire…they seemed to burn to my very soul. A flush of heat worked its way from my stomach to my face, and I turned away from him as quick as I could to avoid him seeing. I think he did, though, because he flushed, too.

I walked over to Lucy, who was caring for the wounded, and looked on to see if I could help. She turned to me and said "Are you alright? You're all flushed."

I cleared my throat. "Y-yeah, I'm ok. Any way I can help out?"

"Um… I think we're all ok here, actually. Oh, wait. Is there anything that be done about the horses?"

I shook my head. "Not that I saw. But I can help." I said, and created horses out of water. "These can lead the carriage. They'll take us where we need to go."

Lucy looked at me, and her expression was one of amazement, shock, and something else. Curiosity, maybe? I wasn't sure, but I didn't know if I liked the look she gave me. I decided not to think about it.

The old destroyed carriage was moved off the road after they collected the bags, and the dead horses were moved into the trees. There wasn't much that could be done for them, but we covered them with leaves, and put stones by their heads. Natsu and Gray helped me with the moving of the horses and the carriage, and by now, the three of us were exhausted, but I still had work to do.

Everyone climbed into the carriage, and I used my magic to harness the horses and make them run. Natsu was sick the moment the carriage began to move, and while I too, felt queasy, I was able to hold it off by suspending myself a few inches from the ground on a suspended puddle. Seeing Natsu as green as he was, I made another suspended puddle and hoisted him next to me, holding us both above the shaking carriage.

He looked at me gratefully, and then began steering the puddle around the carriage, purposefully ramming into the walls. It was great fun to watch, but by the time night rolled around, I was so tired, the water horses fell apart in a splash and soaked into earth the moment we reached the town. I remember being picked up and carried somewhere, and I knew it was Natsu by his smell. At that moment, I didn't care where we went, so long as he held me.

By the time I woke up, the sun was cresting over a hill outside the window if the hotel we were in. Golden sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating everything with yellow and gold. Looking over, I saw Natsu sitting up, looking out the window, and his gaze seemed very far off. I watched him for a moment, before I moved to join him. I sat next to him on his bed, and looked outside, as well.

He was quiet for a moment before he said, "Do you know… what happened to your dragon? Was that yours we saw at the caves?"

I shook my head. "No, it was a spell she had done to protect me. It would have killed anyone with evil intentions instantly. As for Aqurea… I'm not sure. She was there when I was dying, but I don't know how. All I remember… was a warm brush of water against my cheek, and her voice…" I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I hated myself for my weakness. I angrily brushed them away, with Natsu watching me in sympathy.

"You don't know where she is?" He asked quietly.

"No, I don't. Why?"

He looked back towards the sunrise, and his gaze travelled to another place, another time. "I was hoping you might know where my father is… Igneel."

"Your dragon?" I asked, and right in that moment, I wanted to hold him in my arms, but I held my arms to my chest, restraining myself.

"Yeah…" He said, and he glanced at me. He saw me restraining my arms, and I couldn't help but look away, my heart doing cartwheels in my chest.

I gulped, looking down, heating flooding my body. The way he was looking at me, now… it was burning me inside. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to bring him against me, feel his heat and his skin against mine. I wanted him to steal my breath from me, and put his hands against me…

Natsu leaned towards me ever so slowly, the light from the sun making his eyes burn gold. His hand reached up to my face, cupping my cheek and turning my head towards him. My heart was beating so hard against my ribs I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but look at him, pulling me closer…

Gray suddenly snored next to us, and rolled over, breaking the moment. Natsu pulled back, letting his hand fall. I followed his hand for the moment after it fell, wanting desperately for him to put it back, to feel his skin in mine again. But instead, he stood, and walked to the door of the hotel room. He cleared his throat, then opened the door, not looking at me. "I'm…going to go get some air." He said, then left, taking my heart with him.


	16. Rose Water 16: Sleepless

**Chapter 16**

That day, the carriage ride was quiet, and it felt like it lasted years. Natsu and I were suspended on the floating puddles, to avoid being sick. He was avoiding my eyes, but I would catch him looking at me out of the corner of his eye when he thought I wasn't looking. I kept sneaking glances at him, too, drinking in his features, and remembering the warmth of his hand on my face… My heart thundered in my chest thinking about this morning, and my face burned. How I longed for it to happen again, how I so desperately wanted him to hold me…

Lucy was the first to break the silence. "Do you think he'll be ok? That guild member?"

Elia was pointedly looking out the window, trying to ignore all of us. I didn't blame her, but at the same time, I felt like she needed to take responsibility.

Gray was the one who spoke. "I think he'll be fine. Some scarring, perhaps. But he'll survive." He said, looking out the window to his right. Juvia was snuggled against him, of course. I could practically see the hearts in her eyes as she looked at him. Despite my dark mood, I never ceased to be amused by her. And yet… I could understand it. The longing to be with the one you hold dear…

I glanced at Natsu again, and saw him watching Juvia and Gray as well. He seemed to be deep in thought. A strange thought crossed my mind, then- What would it be like, if we were more like Gray and Juvia? Though Gray tried to hide it, I could see how deeply he cared for her.

Night had rolled in by the time we arrived in town. Lucy told me it was called Magnolia, and that was where Fairy Tail was located. It had me confused for a moment, because before then I had thought Fairy Tail was something other than what she called it: A building. A family. But there was- a building as high as the clouds, and as wide as a mountain, or so it felt like. I had never seen a structure so big before in my life, so when I saw all the huge buildings, the others laughed. Lucy and Natsu were enjoying it so much, they took me to another, twice as imposing as Fairy Tail. Lucy called it Kardia Cathedral- a place of worship. I didn't know what religion was practiced here, but it seemed like a grand one to have such a large shrine built for it.

Lucy brought me to both her house and Natsu's, so that I would know where they were. I was brought to a place Lucy called Fairy Hills, where others from Fairy Tail lived. Natsu laughed when I called Fairy Tail a tribe, and while I wasn't sure what had been funny about it, hearing his laugh sent butterflies into a flurry in my stomach. Lucy told me I could stay with her, or in Fairy Hills, whichever I chose. I chose Fairy Hills. I was ready to be alone for a while. It had been a very long few days, and I was exhausted.

That night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I tossed and turned, thinking of everything that had happened over the past few days. No matter how I tried, though, my eyes wouldn't stay shut. I got up and left my room, hoping I could clear my head. This place… Magnolia, Lucy called it… It was beautiful at night, though the stars had dimmed in my time sealed. The air was cool and fresh, though not as crisp as it once was. This world had dulled a little in my time away.

Walking around the town had proved good for me- while I was no longer stuck on dark thoughts, I was cold and lost. The temperature had gone down dramatically since this afternoon, and I was growing colder and colder. I found my way to a park in town, and sat on a bench, wrapping my arms around myself. I don't know how long I was sitting there before I felt a familiar presence behind me. He said: "Lilly? What are you doing out here? Your lips are blue!"

Natsu sat next to me, and a flame lit his hands. I leaned towards it, only then realizing how cold I was. He wrapped an arm around me, and I was suddenly warm inside. My breath puffed in a cloud in front of me, faster than normal. Blushing, I looked at the stars, hoping he wouldn't notice. "Thank you, Natsu."

He was silent for a moment, then he looked down at me. "Lilly…" He said, hesitantly.

I looked at him, curious. He was looking down at his feet, drawing circles in the dirt. "Yeah? What's wrong?" I asked, studying the circles.

He was silent, staring at the dirt circles. After a few moments of tense silence, he said: "Can I ask you something?"

"S-sure. Ask away. Anything."

He hesitated again before speaking. "What was he like? Acnologia? I've met him once before, but I've never seen him truly angry. You don't think he could've… you know… hurt Igneel, somehow, do you? And that's why he's not here?" His face dropped, like a mountain was weighing him down. "I promised I would never stop looking for him, but what if…"

I watched him, a strange sense of hurt and longing hanging over my heart. "Honestly, I don't know. I never want to see him again. If I did…" Hate filled my body, making me shake with fury. Oh, how I hated him. I wanted to do every bad thing possible to him, making his death as slow and painful as possible. I wanted him to _hurt_ , and I wanted to watch him writhe in pain by my hands. "But that's not the point. Point is: I don't know where our dragons are. I can only hope that they are safe, wherever they may be." I said with a sigh.

He nodded, not appearing to be reassured. "Yeah. I can only hope I'll see him again, someday. I miss him."

I leaned against Natsu, for the moment not caring about the fire in my veins created by touching him. I only wanted to take that sadness from him, no matter how. I turned his head towards me with my index finger, and a hot breath blew across my face. I shuddered, though not from the cold. "Don't give up hope. Never give up hope. Once you do, it's one of the hardest things to find again."

He searched my eyes, as though drinking me in. I let him, enjoying it. "You're right." He said. "I can't stop, or I'll never find Igneel."

I realized then how close we were. I was inches from his face, delicately holding his chin with my finger, my heart going a million miles an hour. This was bad; how could I let myself be so attracted to this boy so quickly? I was asking for trouble, and I knew it. But there was something about him that was just so… magnetic. It was like he was the sun. Burning, gravitational, life giving. Get too close and you'll burn. Literally.

He leaned closer to me, the tips of our noses barely brushing each other's, his breath a fog that flowed around me, warming me inside and out. I wanted to kiss him, and oh, how I wanted him to kiss me. I would not restrain myself this time, if only he would lean…

I found myself slowing lying back on the bench, Natsu following me down. The heat from his body on top of mine burned, but it felt so good I never wanted him to leave. I could feel his heart thundering against his ribs, my hand pressed against his bare chest. His face comes down closer to mine, his lips grazing mine, sending shivers throughout my body. The hand that had been holding his chin slid back into his hair, my fingers tangling themselves in it, pulling him down to me. Finally… his lips were against mine, soft and gentle, as though he were writing poetry against my skin. His hands moved to my face, cupping it gently. I never wanted him to stop.

Suddenly, a face appeared above me. A man, who cleared his throat in annoyance. He looked like a policeman. I blushed madly, covering my face as Natsu jumped off of me as quick as though it had been Erza, not a police officer. "What are you kids doing out here so late? Shouldn't you be at home, asleep?" He said, crossing his arms.

I was too embarrassed to speak, or even look at him. I opened my fingers enough to look at Natsu, who was probably as red as I was. "S-sorry, officer. We'll be going." And with that, he picked me up like a child, and sprang off into the night.

I was still too embarrassed to say anything, and before long, I found myself at his house. "Um, why are we here?"

"Because I can't go in the girl's dorm." He responded. "At Fairy Hills. So I brought you here. Is that alright?" He asked, his face the same color as his hair, with one hand behind his head.

I smiled, and felt a new blush, a different kind, move through me. "Yeah, if it's ok with you." I replied, and he smiled.

"Of course it is. You're welcome anytime." He unlocked the door, and held it open for me. I hadn't actually been inside it earlier, just passed by it on our town of the town. It was cute inside, though messy, but I didn't care so much about that. It was an organized chaos, and I loved it. "Your house is adorable."

He laughed. "Thanks. Sorry about the mess, Happy and I were made pillow forts and had a war." He said, looking at the mess of blankets and pillows.

I couldn't help but laugh, too. "That sounds like fun. I would rather fight wars with pillows than with swords and magic." I said, instantly killing the mood. I could see him looking at me with pity, and it annoyed me, but I didn't say anything. Pity never got anyone anywhere. I understood feeling sorry for someone, but don't let that be all you do, or you become part of the problem.

He turned to me. "I'm sorry."

I raised my eyebrow. "For what?"

He sighed. "A lot of things. No one should have to go through what you have. But it's ok now, because you're safe with us. And… I'm sorry for k-kissing you. I took advantage of you…"

I shook my head vigorously. "That's not taking advantage of me!" Then I whispered: "I liked it…" Heat flooded to my cheeks again, and a goofy grin spread across my face.

His eyes widened, and he turned even pinker than his hair. "You…you did?" All I could do was nod. Then he turned to me, walking over slowly. I backed up, hitting the wall. He stood centimeters from me, one arm by my head, the other next to my shoulder. Moving by instinct, I put my hands on his waist, pulling him flush against me. He let out a breathy gasp, then the hand by my head went to my face, moving my hair out of the way, his thumb smoothing the skin of my cheek ever so gently, up to my earlobe, which he then kissed, and made his way down my jaw. My breath hitched in my throat, and a curl of desire lit within me. His lips traced their way over my skin, meeting with mine, gently at first, then harder. My breathing picked up, and I began to lose the ability to think cognitive thoughts. My leg seemed to move on its own, hitching itself over his hips, and his hand moved down my body to my thigh, holding it in place. His breathing was hard against my skin, and I could feel his heart through his chest. He kissed me harder, and I welcomed it eagerly, pulling him closer against me. But it wasn't enough; I wanted him closer, and wanted him harder, and I _wanted_ him.

A knock on the door barely registered with me. I was focused on him, how he felt against me, his hot skin against mine, the rough softness of his lips, and I didn't care about anything else. But the knock was more frantic this time. He paused, pulling back slightly. The look in his eyes made it clear whoever it was, was not welcome right not now. His eyes burned, his body was rigged against mine, and all of him was saying _more. I want more._

He pulled away as the door flew open and Elia stumbled in, face blotchy and red, tear-streaked and dirty. She looked like she'd been crying, hard, and for a while. She was out of breath, like she'd been running. It would explain the dirt on her clothes.

I quietly moved out of her eye sight into Natsu's room. I sat on his bed, my entire being yearning for him. As I listened, Elia recounted a tale I knew all too well. But I wondered how she had my memories. The tale she told was about when I was young, and I'd seen my mother slaughtered before my eyes for being suspected of cheating on my father. By the time they had figured out that she hadn't, she'd been dead for a week. I understood her tears, to a point. It was sad, yes, but it wasn't her story. It was my life. A cold, bitter ache replaced the warmth and desire Natsu had instilled in me, and suddenly it was like I was dying all over again.

I don't know how long I was curled in a little ball of hate on his bed, but the sun was rising when he came in and lay next to me, passing out instantly. Unsure of what to do, I rolled over to face him, watching his sleeping face. It was so peaceful. I gently traced his features, memorizing every detail, each perfect imperfection. I never wanted to forget it. I lay my head on his chest, and fell asleep, wrapped in his warmth, forgetting about the cold and the hate, at least for this moment in time.


	17. Rose Water 17: A Challenge

**Chapter 17**

I woke up before Natsu did, and snuck out of his house. To my surprise, I almost ran into Lucy on my way out. "Oh, hey, Lilly. What are you doing here?"

I quickly searched for an excuse. "I came to ask Natsu about something, but he was apparently up late. He's still passed out." I said. Nailed it.

"What did you want to ask about?"

Shoot. "Dragon stuff. Wanted to ask how many dragon slayers there were and what their abilities were. He's passed out, though."

She nodded in approval. "How do you know it was a late night?"

"That girl from the… uh, quest, I guess… She's in there now, passed out on the couch. Which reminds me- do you know why she has the memory of what happened to my mother?"

"Oh. Well, according to legend, when you start your mission to find her, you, you have dreams telling you about her past. Supposed to be clues, I guess, but everyone who has done the quest before went mad. I thought they'd stop after we found you, but it looks like they didn't…" She said contemplatively.

I nodded, but more in acknowledgement of knowing why it was happening, though I didn't approve. "So anyway, why are _you_ here?"

She blushed prettily, and held up a basket wrapped in a cloth. "I wanted to bring Natsu some breakfast. It was a really long few days, and I wanted to do something nice for him, you know?" She said, looking down.

I smiled. "I'm sure he'd love it." I replied.

Not long after that, we parted ways, and I decided to tour the town by myself. I went in little stores, explored the alleys, walked through the park, and went into the cathedral Lucy had showed me yesterday. The inside was magnificent; gold interior with dark wood pews. The smell in here was weird: it felt like chalk in my nose, but it smelled good nonetheless. There were only a few people here, one of whom was dressed in white robes, and was going around to all the people sitting in pews. I assumed he was the leader of the religion, for they all seemed grateful to see him. I sat too, half hoping he'd come visit me. He eventually did, and we talked for some time, him telling me about his religion, and I told him about my tribe and our religion.

Much later in the day, I walked out of the cathedral and saw Natsu and Lucy walking around together. I almost called out to them, but I stopped before I did. They looked… good, together. They complemented each other, and as much as I yearned for him, there was something between them that I would never have. I felt the disconnect in my heart. They looked like they'd known each other forever. I b=never wanted to be that close to anyone again. Not when I could risk losing them. Not again.

I turned and rushed away from them, and I didn't even know where I was going. I eventually found myself at the beach, having followed some instinct within me that drew me to water. I took off my shoes and pulled my skirt up to mid-thigh, then sat in the surf. The first wave nearly knocked me over, drenching me head to foot, so I guess it hadn't mattered that I tried to keep my skirt dry. I didn't care at that moment, though. The water felt so good against my skin, cool, and swirling around my legs. The sand moved beneath me, creating furrows around either side of my hands. I closed my eyes, happy, and began thinking about the old days. I had missed this- being able to enjoy the sun and the sea. My people had always been very connected to the sea, with fishing, swimming, boating, exploring, anything you can imagine. Back then, we spent more time on or in the water than on land, even at night. We often slept on beds made from wood, seaweed, sand, and few other things. These beds would float just off the shore, where the waves were gentle and lulled us to sleep. We didn't even feel the cold, anymore. The sea was as much a part of us as our blood.

I guess I had been here for a while, because when I opened my eyes again, the sun was sinking into the water, bleeding the world into reds and oranges. I stood, stretching, and got directions back to Fairy Hills, where I intended to spend the rest of my night. Of course, I was never very fortunate anyway. Natsu and Lucy were walking up to the building when I arrived, and I figured I couldn't avoid them any longer. Lucy turned and saw me, then pulled Natsu's sleeve and headed in my direction.

"Hey, Lilly. We've been looking for you all day. Where've you been?" Lucy asked.

"I went to the beach." I responded. "I guess I just needed some time to adjust to everything." And get away from Natsu for a bit.

She nodded. "That's fair. Take all the time you need. Did you want to come with us to the guild hall? Mira set up a screen, so they're going to play a movie tonight when it's dark. There will be popcorn, sodas, candy… all that good stuff. Want to come? We can even make you a Fairy Tail member, if you'd like."

I hesitated. "Movie? Candy? Soda? I don't know what any of those things are. And what do I have to do to be a member?" I asked suspiciously. In my tribe, if an outsider wanted to join, they made you cut off your own toe, to prove your dedication and loyalty to them. I didn't really want to do that, so if it was something like that, I was out.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just have to ask Mira or Master Makarov, and if they approve you, you're in." She took my hand, then, and pulled me back down the hill towards the guild hall. "You'll love movies. They're moving pictures. And as for the food stuff, you'll see."

I sighed. "I don't know what 'moving pictures' are, either. Do I have to do anything after I join?" I asked.

"Nope. Besides taking a job and earning money."

"Then how does one prove their loyalty? Is it a promise of things to come? First born son, finest lamb from the flock, having daughter marry the patriarch? Those the most common ones, I think." I said, trying to figure out what it could be.

Lucy just stared at me in shock. "People did those things back then?"

"Um, yeah. All the time. It was how we avoided war. I was supposed to be married off as well, before Acnologia destroyed every village anywhere near us." I said, shrugging.

She shook her head. "Well, we don't do that here. No future promises, no 'proving loyalty', nothing like that. Personally, I love Fairy Tail. I feel like you would, too…" She said, smiling into the distance.

We arrived at the guild hall then, and I was surprised to see how many people there were. Gray and Juvia were there, as well as a man who made me nervous. He was tall, with a mean looking face, and metal rivets stuck into his face in odd places. Beside him sat a tiny girl with blue hair and a studious look, but whenever she looked at him, a slight flush worked its way into her cheeks. There was a girl and an old man, both drinking heavily from barrels, and another girl behind them with white hair, scolding them for being drunk. There were so many others that I felt overwhelmed, and like I needed to get out. Lucy was still holding my hand, so I followed as she led me to the old man drinking.

"Master Makarov, I'd like you to meet Lilly." Lucy said, and let go of my hand, pushing me forward a bit.

I kept glancing around the room nervously, taking in every aspect of it, watching for signs of danger. I wasn't really paying attention to the little old man, so when he said something, I missed it. "Come again?"

"I asked how you like Magnolia. Is it strange, how much things have changes since your time?" He asked, and I immediately felt more at ease. This old man seemed to understand.

"Yes, Elder. Many things have changed, and nothing looks the same. I feel like I'm lost in a different world." I said, adopting a respectful tone.

He laughed, and it was a warm, kind sound. "Now, now. No need to be so formal. Welcome to Fairy Tail. I am the master of this guild. Were you planning on joining us?"

I looked around again, noting how riotous way Natsu and Gray were interacting. "I… I'm not sure what all the process entails, so…"

"I approve of you already. If you wanted, we can put the mark on you today, and you'd be one of us. Part of the Fairy Tail family."

I looked at him in suspicion. "At what cost? Does it hurt? What do I pay?"

"Nothing. No pain. You pay nothing, but you can get everything in return. There's no need to be stressed, or afraid anymore. We are a family, and we all love each other as such." He said.

I sighed, and agreed to let them mark me. When the girl with white hair pulled something wooden out from under the counter, I took a deep breath to steady myself for the incoming pain. But instead of pain, it merely tingles a little, then went away. My mark was out on my shoulder, similar to Natsu's. I looked at it, and my heart hurt. It was the color of Aqurea's scales in the sun, my favorite color in the world. I didn't realize it until I looked back up, but for some reason, everyone in the guild was looking at me, one finger pointing at the sky. Lucy's eyes were all teary, though I didn't know why.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lilly. The lost, and now found, water dragon slayer." Makarov said, and everyone smiled at me.

"T-thanks…" I said, embarrassed. "But I don't understand. What are you doing?"

"Oh, this?" He said, looking up at his hand. "This is a message. It means: 'Even if I can't see you, no matter how far away you may be… I will always be watching over you'."

My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes filled with tears. "I… don't know what to say." I mumbled, hiding my face. Everyone put their hands down, and congratulated me in turn, and when they all left, I went over to the girl with white hair to ask her about my mark. "Um… how did you know this was my favorite color?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh, your mark? I don't decide the color, you do. The color it becomes is significant to you somehow. Like with Natsu, his is red like Igneel. Gajeel, the scary one… his is black like Metalicana, his dragon." She said, cleaning a glass. "Personally, I think Lucy's is pink because she and Natsu were meant to be together. He is her dragon." She said with a giggle. It hurt my heart to hear it, but I knew from the start that I had no claim on him. I still wanted him, though.

I smiled, in spite of myself. "So how many dragon slayers are in this guild?"

"We have the most in the entire kingdom. Wendy, the sky dragon slayer…" She pointed to a young girl with blue hair, who was talking to a cat. "Gajeel, the iron dragon slayer…" She pointed to the scary one. "Natsu, of course. You know him. The only other one is Laxus, the lightning dragon slayer." She said. "And now you." The last one she pointed to was another scary looking one, but he didn't have a cute girl sitting next to him to offset his dangerous looks.

"Five? How many dragon slayers are there, total?"

"All together, there's eight. Sting and Rogue are both dragon slayers in Sabertooth, a very strong guild. Then there's God Serena, who uses seven different types of dragon slayer magic. But he's dangerous- he's not like the others. His heart is dark." She said, and she looked angry.

I wondered then if my heart would be considered dark, too, but didn't ask because it sounded corny.

"But no one ever sees him, so I wouldn't worry about it. Sting and Rogue are friends of ours. We'll have to bring you to meet them, soon, huh? The last one is Cobra, or Erik. He uses poison dragon slayer magic. I doubt you'll ever meet him. He's in custody with the council."

I looked around at the wizards she had pointed out. The little girl, Wendy… I liked her. She was small, and she looked so innocent… Yet she had magic that could kick butt. Laxus… I didn't like him as much. He looked like he would kill you if you looked at him wrong. Same with Gajeel. For all his quirks, Natsu was just as deadly as the other two. Looking back at the girl with the white hair, I realized I still didn't know her name. "I forgot to ask. Who are you?"

She laughed. "I'm MiraJane Strauss. You can call me Mira. The girl with the short white hair is my little sister, Lisanna, and the big man with the white hair is my brother, Elfman." I watched as she pointed them out. The one she called Elfman didn't seem that big to me, but compared to the other men here, I supposed he was. Many men from my tribe had been as big as him and larger. I was exceptionally short, by my tribe's standards, only an inch shorter than Natsu. No other woman had been under six feet.

I walked away from Mira then, and towards Natsu and Lucy. They were sitting at a table, Lucy reading something, and Natsu and Happy eating in a very messy way. I sat next to Lucy, trying to avoid Natsu's eyes, though they felt like they were burning through my soul. "So, Lucy." I said. "What does one do in a guild?"

She looked up at me, seeming embarrassed. "Oh, how could I forget? Follow me, I'll show you." She stood and walked over to a board that had a whole bunch fliers on them. "This is the request board, where mages can pick out jobs from all over the country. They get rewards for doing the jobs. There are some jobs you can and can't take, like S-Class jobs. Only S-Class mages can take those. Mira, Laxus, and Erza can take those." I looked at Mira as though with new eyes. That friendly, sweet girl who looked like she couldn't hurt a fly was an S-Class mage?

Lucy walked over to the old man on the bar. "Master Makarov, what class would Lilly be?"

He blinked, seemingly confused. "Hmmm, not sure. I haven't seen her magic. Have you?"

"Yes," she said, "And it was absolutely amazing. I've never seen anything like it. If I had to decide, I would say she's easily S-Class."

"Hmm." He said. "Well, maybe we should pick up the S-Class trials." He nodded to himself, but Mira looked concerned.

"Master, is that a good idea? With what happened last time?" She asked.

"I think it is. Why don't we, Mira? It will be good to finish it." He said, then stood up, and jumped up to a balcony on the second floor of the building. "Listen up, all of you! We're going to be doing something special." When he had everyone's attention, he continued. "We're going to continue the S-Class trials. Those participating will be… Natsu Dragneel!" Natsu laughed, pleased. "Cana Alberona!" I looked at the girl clutching a barrel, who seemed surprised. "Lilly…" He looked at me, seemingly confused.

Lucy asked me quietly: "What's your last name?"

"Last name?"

"You don't have one?" She asked. "We'll have to give you one, then. What was your tribe's name?"

"Ummm… we called ourselves… I think it would be Elementals."

"Ok. Then… how about… Lilly Elementa?"

I nodded. "Ok."

Lucy looked back at the master. "Elementa!"

He continued. "Lilly Elementa!" He then listed a few more names, including Wendy, which I thought was cool. Then he came back down to ground level, after explaining to me what the S-Class trials were. I was moderately intrigued. It might pose an interesting challenge.

That night, I slept in my room, longing for something I couldn't understand.


	18. Rose Water 18: The First Trial

**Chapter 18**

A couple weeks passed, and we were taken to the port town of Hargeon. I helped the dragon slayers with the floating puddles again, and they all seemed to appreciate it. Wendy didn't get motion sick, but I did it to her anyway so she wouldn't feel left out.

We got on a boat headed south, but I didn't ride in it. I swam along beside the boat, enjoying the water. Lucy laughed as I swam around the boat, saying I was like a dolphin. It wasn't hard at all to keep up with the boat… rather, more often than not, I swam ahead and had to wait for it. By the time we arrived at the island, Natsu and the other dragon slayers were motion sick, except for Wendy.

We had some time to collect ourselves before the trials started, in which the dragon slayers could recover, and Master could explain the first challenge. "Alright, kids, listen up. The first challenge is like this. You participating… Lilly, Natsu, Wendy, Cana, Gajeel, Elfman… I'm sure you've picked a team mate, by now…" Natsu was with Happy, Wendy was with the white cat, Cana and Lucy, Gajeel and Levy, Elfman and Evergreen. I didn't have a partner, but I didn't feel like I needed one, either. Looking around, I wasn't sure if any of the collected mages here would even want to partner with me. They all seemed to be a little unsure of me, which I supposed I could understand. But then, to my surprise, Juvia came up to me and asked if I needed a partner.

"Y-yes, I do. But wouldn't you rather be with Gray?"

"Juvia would love to be with Gray-sama, but he is not participating this year. He's helping at base camp. Do you need a partner?"

"I… would love it if you were my partner. We would make a good team, I think." I said, feeling secretly pleased that someone wanted to team up, after all.

She smiled at me. "I think so too."

Master then continued. "The idea of this challenge is to push yourselves. Hidden on this island are three precious gems. One blue, one green, one red. The first three teams to find the gems will move on to part two. The other three will be eliminated. You will have three hours. If you find the gem in those three hours, hold onto it, hide it, whatever. The team holding the gems at the end of the three hours will move on. Meaning, if you find a team with a gem, you can try to take it from them." We all looked around at each other. Master then gave us another ten minutes to get ready, then went to discuss things with Mira.

I went to stand near one of the walking paths, and was inspecting the ground. It being a hot day, when hiding the gems, a person would sweat. That sweat would soak into the ground, leaving a trail. If I could pick up the trace of even one drop of human sweat, I would be ten steps ahead of the others. The path I was inspecting didn't seem to have any sweat trail, so I moved onto the next, getting low to the ground, looking for any signs of passage. I found a path not too long after that had some recent evidence of human movement, so I chose it as my path and stuck to it. Juvia joined me as soon after, and we readied ourselves for the task ahead.

"Now, listen up, kids. We have the S-Class wizards also hidden around the island, somewhere near each gem, but not too close. Their job is to protect the gem. In order to retrieve it, you must defeat one of them. Are you ready?" Master called out. There were scattered yes's and hoorah's, and then with a burst of magic in the air, we were sent off on our race.

Sure enough, I soon sensed a trail of sweat along the path we had taken. Juvia was following close behind while I was tracking the droplets; she was keeping watch around us for any suspicious activity. We followed the path for some time, eventually ending up next to river. It was already midday, so we decided to rest and cool off, seeing as we were making our own sweat paths.

"Lilly-san?" She asked as we lay in the river. "Have you ever loved anyone?"

I was silent for a moment, shocked by the abruptness of her question. "W-well, yeah, but why?"

She moved her arms behind her head, eyes closed, enjoying the cool water. "Juvia just don't know how Gray-sama feels. Juvia would die of happiness if Gray-sama loved Juvia, but…" She looked away, clearly worried about it.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that, but decided to be honest. "Actually, Juvia, I think he does. I've seen signs of his affection for you. Perhaps he just doesn't know how to show it, or he's embarrassed?"

She blushed madly. "R-really? You think so, Lilly-san? Ah, my dear Gray-sama, in love with Juvia but not sure how to show this true feelings…!"

I laughed, and then climbed out of the water. "Come on, silly, or we'll never find that gem."

She climbed out too, and we continued on our way, climbing up the island trail. We came to the base of the giant tree in the middle of the island. The sweat seemed to be pooled here in a rather large spot, which led me to believe that whoever had been here had climbed the tree. So Juvia and I changed our bodies into water, and raced up the side of the tree, spiraling around and up until we reached a thick, heavy branch at the top. The view was incredible- all the branches sprouted from the center of the tree, bowing out and down to form a bowl in the middle, the top completely covered by leaves. You could see for miles in every direction through the branches, and the sea sparkled like it too, was a gem.

"Ah, I see you've found me at last." A voice said behind us. Turning around, I saw a red-headed girl, with a blue gem peeking out of a pouch on her waist. "I half expected it to be Natsu who found me here."

"Erza-san?" Juvia gasped, and took a few steps back. "We have to fight you?"

Erza nodded. "If you want the gem, yes." Her armor changed in a flash of light, and she stood before us in a green suit of armor unlike anything I'd ever seen. It faintly resembled what I always thought mermaids would look like.

Juvia tapped her index fingers together, looking down. "Juvia doesn't want to fight you, Erza-san, but we must have that gem, yes?"

I nodded, and did a backflip so I was a few feet away, creating whips of water as I spun, lashing them out at her as I landed. She dodged easily, and blocked the second. Hmm, she was good. No wonder she was S-Class. But no matter. I struck again and again, and while she was distracted dodging and blocking the first two, I made a third whip and snapped it around her ankles, pulling her off her feet. I noticed Juvia standing behind me, shocked, so I yelled "Now, Juvia!"

She jumped to her senses, shouting out "Water Slicer!" and then ducked behind a branch as an attack from Erza flew towards her. She launched at me, next, seeming to understand that I would not be going down easily. I blocked her attacks as well, then decided to launch my own. I raised my fist in the air, slicing down and opening my hand as it reached my waist, creating a rock hard wave of water to explode outward from my feet, slamming everything around me. I protected Juvia from the attack, creating a bubble of water around her just before the wave hit. Erza was flung back against the branches, and nearly fell through before my whip sprang out, grabbing her by the ankle and yanking her back to me. I lifted her in the air with a spout of water, then slammed her down again. Then I used my own body to capture her in a water lock spell, stealing the gem from her bag and holding her in place. Releasing her, I jumped back, purposely falling down through the branches, bringing Juvia along in the water bubble. I created the flying puddle I used for avoiding motion sickness to stop my fall. Once on the ground, I released my puddle spell and the bubble around Juvia, and then began to run into the forest, Juvia hot on my heels.

"Lilly-san, that was incredible." She said, looking at me in awe.

"I have fought and killed dragons. Nothing is as tough as them. For now, though, we need to find a safe place to hide. She won't stay down long, I'd wager." I said, and we arrived back at the river. I dove in headfirst, heedless of the rocks at the bottom, and turned myself into water. Juvia followed, and as we floated downstream, I saw Erza descend from the tree in a ball of fire. No doubt another magic armor she owned.

Time passed slowly as we floated, and eventually, a bell rang, signaling the end of the first round. Juvia and I proceeded to make our way to the base camp. She ran the whole way and flung herself into Gray's arms, and while he didn't seem too pleased by her sudden attack, he looked happy that she was alright.

Looking around, I saw Natsu had the red gem, while Gajeel had the green. Both looked as though they'd been in a series of fights. I began to grow nervous about the next trial. I was up against two other dragon slayers, both of whom were not exactly pushovers. I would have a tough time of it the next round. Master spoke then, interrupting my thoughts. "Alright, kids. The three we moving forward are Natsu, Gajeel, and Lilly. The next trial will be held the day after tomorrow so we have time to set it up, and you have time to recover and prepare yourselves. The next trail shall be announced tomorrow morning after breakfast. For now, eat, rest and talk."

I sat next to Lucy at the fire, cooking a fish I'd caught. She was talking to Levy about the day, Levy talking up Gajeel and his many charms, I'm sure, while Lucy was going over the gem locations and S-Class wizards tasked with guarding each one. To my confusion, Erza came and sat next to me, watching the flames dance.

"So." She said, and looked over at me. "You are quite the skilled mage, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I guess. I haven't really seen too much of the magic wielded in this age, so I'm not sure what I do is considered powerful or not."

"Fair enough." She responded. "But you beat me rather easily, I must say. Not many people can do that. I have to commend you for that."

Looking over at her, I noticed the array of bruises and cuts on her arms and face, and I was sure I was the cause of them. I felt guilty, so I took her hand in mine. "Aqua repaira." I said, and water flowed from our conjoined hands, up her arms and to her face, healing and cleansing her wounds. "I apologize for the damage I inflicted on you. The least I can do is heal it."

She stared in awe as the water receded. "You can heal as well? I thought only Wendy could heal."

"I was taught to use my magic in lots of different ways… offensive, defensive, amusement, medical, even mental health." I replied, and created a small flower in my palm from water to demonstrate.

"That's incredible." She said, reaching for the tiny flower I had created. I shifted it to her palm so she could observe it, then popped it, turning the droplets into butterflies which then flew away. She looked up at me, stunned. "You definitely deserve to be S-Class. I wish you luck." She said, then stood up and left. I saw her talking to the master, who seemed impressed by something.

That night, I lay between Juvia and Lucy, unable to sleep. Sitting up, I could see outside the tent, and saw Natsu playing with the fire. I got up, heart pounding, and went to sit next to him. It was silent at first, until he said… "I heard you kicked butt today."

"Yeah, I guess so. Erza said I did really well."

He nodded, poking the fire with a stick. "She's a tough nut to crack. Even I've had trouble beating her before."

I looked over at him, shocked. "Really? You? Nah, I don't believe it."

He laughed. "It's true. I haven't beaten her yet."

I smiled to myself, looking at the fire.

It got quiet again, so I asked why he was still awake. "I don't know, a lot on my mind, I guess."

"Mind if I ask what?"

He sighed. "Silly things." He took the stick out of the fire, and drew in the dirt.

"Such as?" I asked, watching him doodle.

"Well…" He hesitated. "There's a friend of mine. He likes two girls. He hasn't known one of them for very long, but he likes her a lot anyway. And he's known the other for a while, and really likes her as well. He doesn't know what to do about it."

I looked away. "He should pick the one he's known for a while. Who knows, if he gets to know the first better, he make not end up liking who she really is." I said, and it was then that I noticed Elia was here as well, watching us from the girl's tent with a look of distaste.

He was silent for a moment. "You think so? Because, he already knows the second girl. Maybe he wants to know the first more."

I smiled a little, in spite of myself. "Well, that's up to him to choose. Who is this friend, anyway?"

"It's me-Mest. He uh, was asking me for advice." He said, lighting the end of the stick on fire in the campfire, then proceeding to eat it.

"Oh. Well, tell Mest that I think he should follow his head. He knows the second girl, he trusts her, I assume. He doesn't know the first girl, and may regret leaving the second in favor of the first." I said, kicking the dirt in front of me.

He smiled at the fire. "I don't think he'd regret anything." With that, he ate the rest of the campfire, and walked back to his tent. "Goodnight, water girl."

I blushed. "Goodnight, flame head." I watched him go into his tent, laughing, a million different kinds of wanting flooding through me. Returning to my tent, I noticed Elia pretending to be asleep, the look of disgust still on her face.


	19. Rose Water 19: Red 42

**Chapter 19**

I woke up early the next day to the smell of eggs cooking. Sitting up, I realized I was the last one up from the girls' tent, but that was fine with me. That's what I got for staying up late. Natsu was scarfing down eggs at an impressive rate, while also holding a flaming stick. Juvia was sitting next to Gray, and they were just talking, which I found really nice. It was the little things that meant the most.

Crawling out of the tent, I made my way over to the fire to help myself to some eggs. Lucy smiled at me and came over, a plate already prepared. "Hey, sleepyhead. Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Mmm, not bad. Certainly had worse. What's on the agenda for today?"

"Master Makarov was waiting to announce the challenge until everyone was up. Should be telling us anytime, now, I guess." She said, looking over at where the master sat on a barrel at the edge of the camp. Seeing me, he stood and addressed the crowd.

"Now that we're all here, I'm going to announce the next challenge. Today, it's going to be a test of endurance. S-Class mages need to be able to withstand a lot of magic thrown their way, extreme conditions, and need to have a high amount of magical energy. Today's challenge will test the very limits of your physical, mental, and magical endurance. I want you to give it everything you have. Only the two who do the best will continue. One of you will be out.

"So, as for your challenges. This is not a partner trial, you will be completing this by yourself. Somewhere on the island are three markers. You must take a flag from each one. There will be only two flags at each. You must have one of each to continue. Today will be exceptionally hot, so plan ahead. The rest of us here will be attacking you throughout the day. The flags will be in very difficult places to find and reach. You will be allowed to tap out at any time, however doing so will be instant disqualification."

Natsu laughed, and raised an arm. "No way am I tapping out, pops."

"Me neither. I'm not losing to the salamander!" Gajeel spouted.

I said nothing, simply took in my surroundings. I learned best when I figured it out by myself, so I remembered everything said about Gajeel's fighting style and stamina. I knew Natsu well enough. Well enough to know he was capable of outrageously powerful feats of magic.

Master continued. "Yes, yes, very nice. Shut up. The trial will begin in an hour. Be ready to go." He hopped down from the barrel and resumed eating, while I headed back to the tent to grab my things.

An hour passed, and the trial began. I headed off towards the cliffs. In my explorations and observations yesterday, I had a few possible locations in my head for where the flags could be. The cliffs, which were insanely dangerous to an unskilled mage. The waves slammed against the cliffs, knocking off pieces of stone occasionally, and with the cliffs being made of sandstone, they weren't very stable in the first place. When I arrived, I noticed Gajeel had had the same idea. He was leaning over the edge, looking down. So I'd misjudged him. He wasn't as dim as Natsu was sometimes. From his expression, it seemed there was something there, but he couldn't tell what. Or at least, couldn't figure out how to get to it. I refracted the light around me using water, and headed over next to him silently. Peeking over the edge, I saw something way down at the bottom, but couldn't tell what it was. It seemed to be hidden by magic.

"I know you're there, Lilly. I can smell you." Gajeel turned and looked in my direction, though he couldn't seem to pinpoint my exact location.

I made myself visible again, watching him, untrustingly.

"It's okay, I don't have anything planned. Right now my main focus is getting that flag. Any ideas?"

I shook my head. "Even if I were to go down there, I'd be sliced by those rocks. My water body would be thrown around in the waves. I would say that you had the best chance, if you coated your body in an iron mail, but that presents the problem of how you'd get down there in the first place. The cliffs won't hold up against the weight of your iron mail, and definitely wouldn't do well being climbed on." I said, looking over my options. "I would say I could lower you down to the flags, but you wouldn't be so inclined to help me, now would you?" I sighed.

"You help me, I help you." He said, looking at me. "I can withstand the waves, you can get me down there. What do you say?"

I thought it over. I knew this was a single challenge, but there was no way I'd be able to retrieve the flag on my own. "Fine. But don't let me down or I'll drop you." I said, making a water platform for him to stand on, then altered the temperature so it formed a thick piece of ice. "Climb on, and hold on tight. It's bound to be rough down there." I said, and as he climbed on, I lowered the platform down. Watching over the edge, I waited until he was close enough to grab them. Just as he reached for one, and a big wave was coming, I noticed a fatal flaw in our plan. What happened if he did fall over? The iron he had coated himself in would drag him down, smashing him against the cliff. The ice platform wobbled as I focused on diverting the waves around him. The wave hit, knocking a huge chunk off the cliff next to him, making a secondary wave, which slammed against him. I watched worriedly, but he held his ground. He grabbed the flags, and motioned for me to pull him up, which I did. Once again on solid ground, he handed me a flag, then held his fist out to me. I ducked away from it, sure he was going to hit me. Instead, he just held it there while I looked up at him nervously.

"You're supposed to punch it. It's called a fist bump." He said, and reached for my hand gently, curling my fingers into a fist and bumping it against his. "Why are you so afraid of me?" He asked.

I looked down. "I apologize. You have a scary look to you, honestly, and well I remember men who resembled you, and the damage they did to my life." I said quietly. "But that's not the point. I appreciate your help. I'll be off, now." I said. But then to my shock, the flag in my hand rippled like a mirage, and became a piece of paper. On it were the words: 'Red. 42. Together'.

Gajeel looked at his, confused. "'Red, 42, and Together'. What do you suppose that means?" He looked around for clues, flipping the paper over and holding it up to the sun.

"No idea, honestly. It's a clue, I presume, to the actual location of the flag." I remembered, then, the Japanese maple trees I saw on the way here, full of red foliage. "I better get going. Good luck, Gajeel." I said, and headed back down the hill.

"Same to you." He said, and started towards the tree. I was right- he was no fool. He knew about the small cave I'd seen at the base of the tree, and must have figured that would be a good place to hide something, what with all the twisting roots and exposed thorns.

Back at the maple trees, I checked my surroundings. Red, like the leaves. 42', the elevation from the sea. The together part, was where I was stuck. All the branches were intertwined, so all the trees were technically together. I sat on the ground, studying my surroundings, then stood again, counting the number of trees. 68, which was 42 together. 4 + 2 was six, an was 8. Angling myself toward the camp, I counted again from right to left, the inspected the tree that I ended on. Not finding anything, I tried again in the opposite direction. When I still couldn't find anything, I sat down in a huff, taking in my surroundings. Just then, Natsu entered the clearing, and walked right over to me.

"Lilly. Have you found anything?"

"No, nothing. You?"

He shook his head. "Me neither. I thought I smelled you, so I came to look."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You smelled me? What do I smell like?"

"Like the sea. Not in a bad way, in a good way. Like sun, and sand. Cool breezes, sea grass." He sniffed again, moving closer to me. "Yeah, it's a good smell."

I blushed and moved away, trying to talk, but stuttering. "W-well, I should get back to looking." I moved back into the middle of the clearing, and tried not to look behind me, at him still standing there.

"Lilly." He said, appearing behind me, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close. The warmth of his arms around me squashed any argument I had.

"Yes…" I whispered, feeling his skin against my neck.

"You failed." He said.

I stood still, confused. Then I realized. He didn't smell like Natsu. And this was a test. I quickly escaped, turning myself into water and splashing onto the ground, then moving a short distance away.

The fake Natsu transformed into Laxus, the blonde one I hadn't liked the look of. "Thank Mira for teaching me about transformation magic." He sneered.

"That was a dirty trick." I said, blushing madly, both from embarrassment and anger.

He grinned at me. "It's a test. It's not meant to be fair." He said, and sent a bolt of lightning at me, which I easily deflected.

"You and I are a bad match, Laxus." I said. "I'm water. You are electricity. I can deflect anything you send at me right through to the ground."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. We'll see." He said, and came at me. He jumped high in the air, sending another bolt of lightning at me, which I sent down into the ground. He landed, and punched down, attempting to knock me out. Having a body made of water, I simply exploded outwards, sending searing hot water out in every direction. He hissed, jumping backwards, wiping the water off.

"Thanks to you, my water is super-heated. So thanks for that." I said, reforming my hands around his ankles, yanking him off his feet.

He fell hard, clearly not expecting that. He was up again in a flash, moving around as fast as a bolt of lightning, bouncing off the trees, occasionally coming back towards me, trying to land a charged punch. I deflected each one, then made spikes of ice fly out in every direction. Because of how fast he was flying, there wasn't any way to deflect them in time. He stopped, three spikes in his arm, then sent a bolt of electricity through the ground, lighting the trees around us on fire. "There. Now the heat will tire you out, and make your water body spell ineffective."

"I have to admit, that's pretty clever." I said, grinning. "Fine, then. No more water body." More of a challenge. I liked this guy. He could hold his own pretty well.

He ripped the ice spikes out of his arm, throwing them on the ground. He smiled triumphantly, thinking he won. Then he started racing around again, creating a wind tunnel around us, increasing the heat even more and sending it into an upward spiral. While he did that, I put my hand in the air, gathering magical energy from the area around me. The air was incredibly dry, thanks to that fire. But luckily for me, the ocean was close.

Laxus then sent a massive bolt at me, pulling off attack after attack with his dragon slayer moves. I dodged them as best I could, and then finally, when I had enough magical energy gathered, thrust both of my hands forward at him, yelling, expended a huge amount of magic. At first, nothing happened, then the ground rumbled. Then, a wave as tall as the tree appeared just a few miles from where I stood, getting ready to smash against the cliffs. His eyes went wide, and his skin pale. "Okay, okay, stop it. You're going to take out the whole island."

I glared at him, making the wave go higher. Then, just as it was about to hit, I dispersed it, making it torrentially rain on the island. The fire in the trees was put out almost instantly, leaving everything completely drenched. Using the puddle on the ground, I made a water lock around Laxus, squeezing, preventing his escape.

"I give." He said, not trying to escape. "The flag is here. I have it." He said.

I looked at him, confused. "How?"

"Red. The trees. You had that right. 42 feet above the sea level. You and I together made disaster and rebirth. Look…" He said.

I looked at the trees, burnt now, but seeds decorated the ground. The seeds were partially covered in mud, and had been watered.

"These trees were diseased. Left alone, the whole island could've been decimated." He said, and I released the water lock spell. He handed me a flag, smiling at me. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

I laughed, then looked at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"How did you know? About...um…Natsu?"

He laughed. "It couldn't be more obvious that you like each other if he outright said he loved you, and you said you loved him."

I scowled, blushing again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. But you better get moving. You've gotta go get those other flags."

I nodded. "Thanks, Laxus." I said, tucking the flag in my belt and heading off towards the coast.


	20. Rose Water 20: Tag Team

**Chapter 20**

I was exhausted already, but I knew I couldn't stop. I only had until midnight tonight to get those other two flags, so I had no time to stop for a nap. I had just gotten into a fight with team Shadow Gear, too, but they hadn't been nearly as tough as Laxus. Still, the fighting, the heat. It was draining.

Now, at the beach, I headed into the water, swimming down and underneath the island. I knew that there was a cave way down deep. Looking around, I saw Natsu again, standing on the dock. Instead of going down, I went up, surfacing underneath him. "Heya. Whatcha doing?" I asked.

He looked down, giving me a huge smile. "Hi, Lilly! I was about to go diving. Good thing you're here. You can go with me!" He said, taking off his shirt.

I bit my tongue, looking away. "Okay, come on, then."

He jumped into the water next to me, and grabbed my hand. "This way I don't lose you." He said, looking at me, still smiling.

Oh, I wanted to kiss him. But I didn't. I would be good. I smiled at him, and pulled him under the water, making an air bubble around his head. He looked at it, amused and fascinated, then came closer, combining his with mine. "So I talked to Mest." He said.

"Mest? Oh yeah, your friend with the girl problem." I said, breathing shallowly. He was so close. I wanted to do a million things, but I knew he would be better with Lucy, so I kept my hands to myself. But I had never had to try so hard before.

"Yeah, him. He said that even though he loves the other girl, he still wants to get to know the new one." He said, and moved even closer.

My heart skipped a beat. "B-but. That girl he's known for a while. Doesn't she like him back?" I asked, trying to derail him.

"He doesn't know. But he really wants to get to know the new one. He really likes her." He said, and our noses brushed. An electrical shock went through my body, like when I was fighting Laxus. Only this shock was different. It felt good, wrapping itself around every bone, every fiber, curling below my stomach, threading itself into my muscles.

I couldn't say anything, could barely even breathe. I felt a hand go around my waist, pulling my body flush against his. I knew there wasn't time for this. I knew I shouldn't be doing this. I knew there were so many reasons not to do this. But something about him…

He moved closer to me, and my breath caught in my throat. His lips barely grazed mine, leaving a deep yearning in me. A part of me was still fighting it, trying desperately to figure a way out of this, and yet the other part of me was lost in his eyes, his smell.

A dolphin pod swam by just then, sending ripples through the water. I used this as my excuse to pull away, but when I did, I felt like I had torn away a piece of myself. "Come on, Natsu, or we'll never find those flags." I said, smiling.

He looked at me, surprised, then followed after, still holding onto my hand. Even just that felt so right, that I didn't stop him.

We arrived at a cave entrance not long after, and I made an air bubble around his hand so he could create light for us. We dove in, and looked around, scoping out the area. I went a little deeper, finding a variety of glowing fish hiding deep within the crevices in the rocks. One swam out, and sat on my hand. Looking closer at it, I realized it was a pilot fish, usually following around bigger animals, like whales. I pet it, and it swam off, making a mess of the sand around me. But in looking down, I realized it was drawing something. It was very rudimentary, but I could read it. I nodded my thanks, tearfully. It had written out that we were the only humans who had been here, so there would be no flag. But the fish down here would do whatever they could to help me out, since they had heard tales of me and my mother.

The pilot fish swam off, and I swam over to Natsu, who was digging around in the sand at the bottom of the cave. Getting his attention, I swam back towards the entrance of the cave. He joined me, and we surfaced near the dock. We swam back to shore, and Natsu came and stood next to me. "Nothing down there?"

"Nope. The fish said there was nothing there. Wanna look somewhere else? Upstream, perhaps?" I asked, looking up at the river in the distance. My other idea of where the flags were slowly dissolving, but I still wanted to look, anyway.

He nodded, and started to walk uphill, carrying his shirt and bag. I drank in the rolling muscles of his back, his legs… Then quickly looked away, feeling sour. Who was it that said 'you always want most that which you cannot have'? Because I hated them.

I ran to catch up, falling in step next to him. He looked over at me, looking me up and down, making me flush. We didn't say anything, instead, just walking up towards the river, and once we reached it, we sat and put our kegs in the water, exhausted from the heat. The cool water felt so good that I lay down on the river bank, and closed my eyes. I felt Natsu lie down next to him, and even though it was deathly hot, the warmth of his skin next to mine was pleasant, and I liked it. I felt myself falling asleep, happy.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was about ¾ of the way across the sky, meaning I'd been asleep for a couple hours. Looking over, I saw Natsu asleep next to me. I watched his sleeping face, and gently traced his lips, yearning for something I knew I couldn't have. Instead of tempting myself further, I got up and looked around at my surroundings. Suddenly, I noticed the river had turned an alarming shade of red. I followed it upstream, where I found my village. Confused, I went in, looking around. There was no one there. I went into my old house, looking around at all the stuff. My mother's collection of seashells, my father's assorted weaponry, all of my things, lying next to my cot. I gulped, feeling tears building in the back of my throat. I knelt next to the carving of a whale I had made for my mother when I was six. Holding it in my hand, tears fell from my face. I didn't understand how all of this was here. But at the same time, I didn't care. That is, until I heard screaming. Running outside, I watched as my mother was killed five feet from me, sliced down the front by a giant claw. The villagers were spread out over the village. Screaming, fire, blood. I started sobbing, knowing exactly what was happening. I ran to the cliffs and dove for the water, Aqurea coming up from the sea and catching me as I fell. We soared into the sky, circling back around and slamming into Acnologia with thousands of tons of force. He went flying, soaring out of the village, crashing several miles away in a dense forest. We flew there, Aqurea roaring with all her might, and me screaming in rage. In his claws, he held my father, and my love. Both were dead, and I knew there was nothing I could do to change that. Hate filled my heart and I combined my powers with Aqurea's, creating a wave that rose to the clouds, longer than it was tall. I wanted him to die. Wanted him to drown. Wanted him to so dead, it was like he never existed.

Suddenly, it all vanished, and I was standing in a group of trees, the sun shining down on me. Looking around, I realized it was an illusion. Duh. Should've known that. It was a dark illusion, and a very strong one. There was only one person who could do that. "Elia. I know you're here." I said.

"Hmm. You broke my illusion. So be it." She said, her voice coming from the left. I knew I couldn't trust the location of her voice, though. Instead, I tracked the source of the dark energy. It was coming from the right, meaning she was throwing her voice, trying to get me to go a different direction. Getting my bearings, I could feel the river moving off to the right. She was trying to separate me from Natsu.

"So why did you show me my village?" I asked, trying to distract her.

"Because I knew it would hurt you." She said, and her voice sounded smug. For some reason, the darkness felt even more solid this time. More so than it had before when the dark guild had attacked. Whatever was bothering her was really starting to eat away at her sanity.

I took a shaky breath, pulling water from the river towards me, making it move along the ground like a snake. I had no doubt in my mind right now that this girl wouldn't hesitate to kill me, if given the opportunity. I pulled the water towards me, creating an invisible barrier around me that spanned several feet.

Just then, I heard Natsu call out in the distance. But not knowing what was real and fake at this point, I said nothing. Moments later, he came into the trees where I stood, smiling at me. I did not smile back, and his smile dropped, confused. "Lilly? What's wrong?"

"You're not fooling me, Elia." I said, feeling around for the darkness. It spiked to the south of me, and I sensed nothing from Natsu. An earthquake shook the land, shaking trees out of the ground, making the river thrash and leave the banks. I gasped, starting to fall, but Natsu's hands caught me, stabilizing me. Once I felt his hands on me, everything stopped moving instantly, and nothing had changed. Elia roared out in anger, but nothing else happened.

Natsu and I were both breathing hard, looking around for any signs of an attack. Nothing happened, though, so after a few minutes, I sighed, and looked back at him. "I don't know why she hates me so much."

He shook his head. "I don't know. She wasn't like this before. I don't understand, either." He looked down at me. "I'm glad you're okay." He said, and he genuinely looked relieved.

I reached up and pulled him down to me, kissing him. I didn't know why at the time, but I later realized I was glad he was safe, too. I needed someone there, and he had come to my side. He looked surprised for a moment, but then he kissed me back, pouring all of his worry, frustration, happiness, fear, love and so much more into it, and for that moment in time, there was nothing I wanted more.

Much later, we headed towards the spring where the river came from, following a scent trail. Gajeel's, Natsu said. I recognized it, and followed it, too. Upon arriving at the springs, I realized just how deep they were. At the bottom of one at the top, I saw evidence of a recent fight. Some blood, dirty water, disheveled rocks. I walked over to it, peering down into the depths. It was a hot spring, and a very hot one at that. Down at the bottom, I saw a single flag. I would never be able to reach it. It was way too hot. Natsu could do it, but it was so deep, the pressure would do things to him. I saw what looked like finger marks down one side of the hole, so I assumed Gajeel had climbed down into the hole to retrieve the flag. But on closer inspection, the marks only made it about halfway down. When I felt the water with magic, I could tell it was not only super hot, it was poisonous. There was some kind of algae growing in it which would easily kill you in a matter of minutes. He seemed to realize this pretty quickly, and had made his way out. But that still left the challenge of how to get the flag out.

Natsu came over and looked down as well. "It smells." He said. "Like…burning. Did you drop something in there? Oh, the flag!" He said.

Burning… Then it occurred to me. If we lowered something down there to get the flag, then we could get it out without injuring ourselves. The only question was what we could put down there in order to get it out. Biological elements would be destroyed almost instantly. Non-biological elements would be harder to wield. Stones, for example. Water would be useless against water, as would fire. Of course, that made me wonder how Gajeel had done it. I sat at the edge of the pool, thinking. Too hot for ice… though perhaps I could cool it down enough to kill the algae, then go down inside it.

Deciding on that plan, I cooled down the pool to just above freezing, then jumped in, sinking down to the bottom. Natsu fell to his knees next to the pool, looking at me worriedly. He didn't realize that I'd cooled it enough to go in. I had also coated myself in a thin bubble of air, making it so that the water never actually touched me. At the bottom, I grabbed the flag, then swam back up to the surface, and climbed out.

"You got it!" He said, smiling.

I nodded, looking at it. "But there was only one." I said.

"I know. You take it, since you got it. I'll go take Gajeel's." He said, with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, but I knew that in order to continue, you had to have all three flags. Natsu had one, I had two, and Gajeel now had two. Probably. Who knew how many he actually had?

Looking at Natsu, I knew that if he went on, I might have to fight him. I didn't want to fight him. But I wanted to fight Gajeel even less. As we walked back down the hill, I was beginning to dread finishing this test.


	21. Rose Water 21: The Final Flag

**Chapter 21**

We were sitting on the rocks by the shore, thinking of where else the flags could be. We had been attacked twice more on our way down, once by Gray and Juvia, then once by Lucy and Cana. Neither team stood much of a chance, but I was exhausted, nonetheless. Natsu looked like he was getting tired, too. Even though the heat wasn't affecting him like it was affecting me, fight after fight and constantly trying to figure out puzzles like the ones laid out before us.

Yawning, I stood, and looked around. I didn't see any evidence of human activity, so I considered us safe for the moment.

Natsu was cooking some fish I had caught, while I did another perimeter check. There was no smoke, since he was cooking them with the fire in his hands. He handed one to me, and I sat next to him, eating.

After we finished, I made some fresh water in a half coconut shell I'd found on the beach. We both drank some of it, then he headed off on his own. I decided to head north. The sun was beginning to set. I didn't have a lot of time left.

I headed upwards, towards the tree. It wasn't long before I noticed recent signs of passage. Footprints, broken twigs, rocks turned over. I followed the path made, and found the base of tree, where several guild members were sitting, waiting. Upon further inspection, I saw a flash of red in the roots of the tree. The last flag was hidden underneath the ground, deep in the roots of the tree, surrounded by tons of people who were still at full fighting ability. If it were Natsu, I knew he'd charge right in, not thinking about the consequences. But I was one to think about stuff. I noticed that Erza was walking a perimeter of sorts, as was Laxus, who didn't look so hot. He had numerous cuts and bruises, and the arm where I'd hit him with the ice spike was wrapped up tightly, the bandages soaked with blood. It looked like I wasn't the only one he'd gotten in a fight with.

The others were sitting around in various places, each one keeping an eye on a different area. There was no way to slip through without being seen. Unless… I made a water clone and bent the light through her, seeing if she could make it to the roots without being seen. But as soon as she left the safety of the trees, she popped like a balloon, making everyone within hearing distance look over, suddenly on alert. There was a barrier around the tree. This would be the hardest test yet. I didn't want to fight all of them, and I didn't know how to get in without being seen. But, since they had all looked over when my clone had distracted them, I bet I could use that. I made several more, and sent them out to various points, also testing for weaknesses in the barrier. All the clones popped, while several of the guild members followed after the clones.

While they were distracted, I moved in closer to the tree, hiding out behind a tent erected by one of the guild members. I tried to make the water refract around me, but it wouldn't work. The barrier had let me through, but not my clones. So, an anti-magic barrier. Would explain why my clones kept popping. But that also meant none of the other guild members could use magic. Of course, they had numbers on their side. Strategy, strategy. What can I do? I tried to make another clone, but nothing happened, and even when I tried to make her appear outside the barrier, nothing happened. The guild members were starting to return, now, Erza right in front of the pack. I quickly ducked into a bush near the base of the tree, watching them. Then I took the flags I had gathered and hid them in my shoes, one in each. Then quickly cut my arm with a piece of sharp stone next to me, and strolled right up to the camp. Erza charged at me as I held up my hands in a sign of surrender. Upon seeing the blood dripping from my arm, she stopped in her tracks.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Cut it when I fell down a hill a little while ago. I didn't have any bandages, so I came to see if I could get some here. Is that okay? I'll be off again as soon as I have some." I said, covering my cut.

She nodded, and led me towards a medical tent, where I saw the people I had beaten up throughout the day. Shit, if they mentioned how I could heal myself…

Instead, Levy just watched me, confused, and the others said nothing. I assumed they hadn't realized that I could self-heal, then. Erza sat me down and bandaged my arm, tying the bandage off. "There. You should be all set, now. Be careful out there." She said, and led me back out to the barrier. I had had all the time I needed to scout out the area.

As soon as I got out, I made it start raining. It slowly got heavier and heavier, sending everyone rushing inside the tents for cover. Now that the clouds were releasing their wrath upon the camp, it would be awhile until they blew over. I used the falling water to travel up into the sky, positioning myself over the tree, and changed my body into rain, and fell onto the tree, travelling down until I hit the top of the barrier, and fell the rest of the way into a small ravine just a few feet from the exposed roots of the tree. But to my surprise, Erza stood there waiting for me.

"Did you forget that I know you can self-heal? I knew what you were doing. A good plan, for sure, but know you'll have to fight me without your magic." She said, sword in hand. She must have requipped outside the barrier, then brought her weaponry inside. Clever.

Of course, she was right. Now I would have to fight her without magic. No healing, no water body, no spells. Cussing, I ducked behind the tree roots and grabbed a branch I found. It was thick and strong, and would at least deflect her attacks. She swung at me with the force of a lightning bolt, nearly breaking my branch. I rolled out of the way and swung the branch at her, which she deflected, causing it to splinter and send the shards everywhere. To my surprise, one flew and stuck in the invisible barrier, making a miniscule crack. I picked up another piece of branch and smashed it against the barrier, making a good sized hole. I felt magic flowing through it, and while I didn't really get how the tree had broken the barrier, I went with it.

It was only a little bit of magic flowing through the hole, but I could use it. I made the rain swirl around Erza, blinding her, then ducked behind her, heading towards the roots. She requipped into an armor covered in gills, and instantly made the water disperse. In giving myself magic, I also let her have some. Then other guild members came out, hearing the ruckus, and rushed over to assist her. I groaned, biting my lip. This is not what I had wanted. So much for my plan.

I collected the rain around me, making a barrier of my own, and thrust it out away from me, flinging everyone to the ground. Lightning flashed, and Laxus appeared in front of me, just barely missing the barrier I had made. I was already exhausted, and frustrated to boot, so I just growled at his appearance, and slammed my fist into the ground, making the rain that had already fallen into the earth come rushing out of the ground, creating a massive geyser of steaming hot water. I ran through the water, and used some more water to pull a flag out of the roots. The geyser stopped, and I shoved the last flag into my shoe. The rain fell even harder than before, now including all the water that had already fallen.

Suddenly, a column of flame shot up into the middle of the storm, dispersing my clouds. I looked over, shocked, to see Natsu standing there. He rushed over and grabbed the other flag as a buzzer sounded from camp.

Everyone stood, drenched and steamy, bruised and beaten, and headed back towards what was the camp. I had kind of destroyed that, too. They all headed towards where the buzzer sound had come from, while I stood, watching Natsu. I was amazed. No one had ever stopped my storm before.

He came over to me, and stood inches from me, looking down at me, smiling a tiny smile. "What?" He asked. "You're looking at me like it's the first time you're seeing me."

"It is." I whispered.

He looked confused. "I don't get it."

I pulled him down and kissed him. I didn't even care if anyone saw. I was soaked to the bone, as was he. It was dark out, but the moon leant just enough light to see. When I opened my eyes, he was silhouetted against the stars, and he looked so much like my first love that for a second I believed they were the same person. I put my hands on his face, looking at him. "We can't do this." I said.

"Why not?"

"You're not meant to be with me." I said with a sigh. "I'm not even supposed to be alive right now." I looked towards camp, where I saw Lucy getting a bandage on her leg. "You're meant to be with someone else."

He shook his head. "That's nonsense. You belong with us. You see this?" He pointed to my guild mark. "This means you're one of us. It doesn't matter where you're from. It doesn't matter what you've done. We're a family. And you're a part of it." He said, pulling me up against him.

I closed my eyes, breathing in his smell, absorbing his words. I smiled. "If we're family, then this is definitely a no-no."

He laughed. "That's not what I meant." He said, his arms wrapped around me. He smoothed a piece of hair out of my face, looking at me. "You belong with us. You belong here."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. _Belong_. Such a strange word. I'd only ever heard it one other time, when my father told me I belonged in the village, not in the water. This was different. This time, I believed it. Reaching up, I pulled him down to me again, and tried to convey my feelings through things I couldn't say.

He responded in turn, pushing me up against the tree, one hand running down my side and coming to a rest at my hip. My breath quickened, and my body seemed to move on its own, pulling him closer. I wanted him so much in that moment that-

"Hey, let's go!" Someone called from near us. I stopped immediately, embarrassed by the situation I found myself in. Blushing madly, I stepped away from him, and put my hand to my lips, hiding the smile.

He smiled, too, and pulled me back up against him. "You go meet up with them. I'll be there in a few." He whispered against my lips.

I nodded, and headed to the demolished camp, where everyone else was already waiting, even Gajeel. Master was standing on a barrel that had somehow survived the carnage, with Mira behind him. I was glad I hadn't had to fight her. She was super powerful, and I didn't know how much luck I'd have against her.

Master then decided to speak. "The three who were in the challenge today, please step forward." Gajeel and I stepped forward, while master searched the crowd for Natsu. "Where is that boy?" He asked, but no one knew. "Well, he'll be disqualified if he isn't-"

"Ah HAAA!" Natsu was suddenly beside me, loudly proclaiming his entrance. "Trying to start without me, Gramps?"

Master just sighed. "Okay, the three participating today. Please step forward and present your flags." The three of us walked over to Master, where I took all three flags out of my shoe. He just nodded like he expected me to have them all. Gajeel presented two, and Natsu handed over three. Meaning whatever the last challenge was, it was against Natsu. "Very well." Master continued. "Then the two moving on are Natsu and Lilly. The next trial will be in two days, so we all have time to rest and recover. It was a very long day for all of us, and some sleep would be much appreciated." With that, we all began to head back to the base camp, where we were greeted by those that had stayed behind.

After a dinner consisting of fresh tuna, bananas, wild rice, and other such thing found on the island, I headed in to the tent, and was surprised to find Lucy already there. She looked up at me worriedly. "Lilly, I don't… I don't really know how to say this, but I think something is wrong with Elia. She's still having those nightmares, and each day she seems a little… darker, I guess. I heard her mumbling about how much she hated you today." She stood up, and came over and hugged me. "It's probably nothing, but be careful, okay?"

I nodded, unsure what to make of this development. "I will. Thank you for telling me."

She smiled. "Of course. You're my friend, and I don't want you to get hurt." She said, then left the tent.

I lay down, snuggling into my sleeping bag, and was suddenly overcome by a fit of coughing. Huh, must have swallowed spit the wrong way or something. Not long after, I fell asleep, dreaming of things I hoped would never come.


	22. Rose Water 22: Out of the Dream

**Chapter 22**

That night, I had a strange dream. Everything was dark, but it was also light. There was a certain joy in it, but there was also so much sadness. I couldn't make sense of it. When I woke up, my pillow was covered in sweat and blood. I soon figured out that it came from me, my nose and mouth. I had no idea how it would have happened, but in my panic, I grabbed the whole pillow and tossed it in the river.

Taking a deep breath, I washed myself off in the river, making sure to get all the blood off my face and clothes. Even with the cleansing water, I still felt like the blood was clinging to my skin. I cleaned off my pillow to the best of my ability, then returned to camp, turning my head to face the morning sun. I stopped, standing on the path, soaking wet and holding my drenched pillow in my arms, warming myself in the sun. At that moment in time, I didn't even care that someone might see me. I hadn't really had a chance to just enjoy the sun since I had woken up, and now that I had a chance, I was going to take it.

I soon realised I wasn't alone, and I could tell exactly who it was by that all too familiar smell. Natsu stood next to me, and even though I couldn't see it, I could feel his gaze on me. Neither of us said anything, but it was the kind of silence where nothing needed to be said. It was a long time before I opened my eyes, and when I looked over, I saw Natsu standing in the same position as I was.

He looked at me then, and said quietly: "Hey. I wanted to talk about yesterday…"

I immediately turned away. "What's to talk about?"

"I want us to be more." He said. "More than what we are. I want you to be mine."

"What does that mean?" I asked, looking back at the river.

He gently put his hands on my waist, pulling me towards him so I'd face him. I looked up at him, feeling a strange heat flood through me, starting from where his hands touched my skin. Looking into his eyes, for the moment I forgot everything that had happened this morning. But I knew that this couldn't happen. I didn't belong here in this time. Based on what had happened this morning, I assumed my time lapse was starting to catch up with me.

"Natsu…" I whispered, and I was pretty sure my face showed all the torment I was feeling inside. But before I could say anything else, I started coughing uncontrollably, and I couldn't force any words out. When I was finally able to speak again, Natsu's eyes were as wide as the sky.

He scooped me up in his arms and ran back to camp, shouting for help. I realised then that blood was in my mouth, and I could feel it coming out my nose as well. I didn't really get why he was yelling for help, but I didn't stop him. Guild members came pouring out of the tents, rushing over to us. "What happened?" Erza called out, looking distressed.

"I don't know, we were just standing there and then she started coughing and there was blood-" Natsu looked absolutely panicked, and looking around, most of the guild members looked exceptionally worried, too.

The guild members cleared a path as Master Makarov walked through them, followed closely by Mira. "I was afraid of this happening…" He said. "She was in a completely sealed tomb, right? No access to anyone or anything outside of it?"

"Y-yes, that's right…" Natsu said, watching Makarov desperately. "How can I help her? Please, there has to be a way!"

"We need to move. Now. Mira, have everyone pack everything up and be ready to move out as soon as possible." Makarov said to Mira, all the while watching me. I was still a little dazed, but I was able to mostly understand what they were saying.

"Gramps, please tell me what's wrong, if you know…" Natsu said, a pleading look on his face.

Makarov turned away, looking up at the tree. "She was in a sealed environment for 300 years. She wasn't exposed to any of the diseases and ailments that we have these days, nor was she treated for any of them. She's suddenly been introduced to an entire world full of things that are entirely different from the world she knew in her day. Meaning, any disease we have now that they didn't have then is one that could possibly kill her. We may be immune to it, but she never had time to build an immunity." He said.

"What does that mean?" Natsu asked.

Makarov sighed. "It means she's sick, and without help, she could die."

Natsu went completely still, looking at me "How did she get sick?"

"Could have been anything, depending on what she's sick with." He said, then walked back to camp to help pack everything up.

A scream from the girl's tent made us all jump. Levy came out of the girl's tent, holding my mat, which also had blood on it. I hadn't even realised. Looking at it, I noticed just how much blood there was. It would explain why I was still a little out of it.

Some time later, all the guild members were on the boat, waiting to push off. Natsu carried me on board, and almost instantly turned green. Juvia offered to make a water platform like what I had made, but Natsu refused, saying he wasn't going to let me out of his arms. Several people, including myself, assured him I would be fine, but he stubbornly refused. When we arrived back at Hargeon and got into the carriage, he finally let me go, only to place me on the seat next to him.

We arrived at the guild hall as the sun was setting, and standing outside was a woman with pink hair and a red spiked cape. She seemed odd to me, but I didn't mention it. As we all got out, Natsu stood next to me, pale as a sheet, but still mostly functional. The woman walked up to me and grabbed me by the arm and started walking off. "Follow." She said, and Makarov nodded at me, as he, Natsu, Lucy, and Erza began walking behind us. The others went into the guild hall, though for what, I don't know.

A few minutes later, we arrived in a forest home, and I was instructed to lie on the bed while she examined me. I did as I was told, and for several minutes, no one said anything as the woman did a few tests and examinations. She stepped back when she was done and began to speak in a gravely voice. "It's bad. I don't know if this is something I can cure." She said to Makarov.

Natsu suddenly looked enraged. "Why won't you help her? What's wrong with her, and how did she get sick? Why aren't you doing anything?!"

She glared at him. "Silence. I hate humans. Always so loud and impatient. She has a disease I haven't seen in a long time. Most people these days are immune to it. But she's not from our time period. The most likely way she got it is from contact. Do you know if she kissed anyone or did any kind of profane blood sharing ritual of some sort?"

Natsu went even more pale than before. "You mean she got it from kissing someone?" He said, and looked over at me, horror in his eyes.

"Probably, yes. That's the most likely answer." The woman said, looking between Natsu and me. I tried not to give anything away, but at that point, I'm sure I was pale, too. "Whoever she decided to kiss was a carrier of the disease and passed it along to her, making her sick."

I was watching Natsu as the reality sunk into him. He was blaming himself. There was no way I could tell him it wasn't his fault. There wouldn't be anyway to make him feel better. I watched as his whole face dropped and turned dark. "Is there anything you can do? A medicine? A plant of some kind? A magical item?" He asked quietly.

"Natsu…" I said, and my heart fell to the floor as I saw his eyes shimmering. It was as I had thought. He blamed himself.

The woman shook her head. "Not that I know of. She'll just have to try to get past it on her own. I'll keep an eye on her here, or you could take her to a specialist. Though that will be expensive, and I doubt any of you have the funds to continue to pay for treatments." She said, turning away from the others, looking back at me. I was studiously memorising the details of the ceiling.

"If there's a way to fix this…" Natsu said, standing in the doorway, his back turned. "I will find it." The way he said it then made me believe he would search the ends of the earth until he found something. For the first time all day, a flicker of hope burned in my chest like a small flame. He left afterwards, and it seemed he left with a good deal more darkness in his heart than when he had come in.


End file.
